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BANGKOK POST: GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOODS: AGENCIES GEAR UP TO PROTECT CONSUMERS: GOVT SPENDS B1.5BN TO DETECT FALSE LABELS

Apisit Buranakanonda

Biotec and bio-engineering agencies plan to improve their ability to protect consumers from
misleading labelling of food as free from genetic modification.

At the same time, the Agriculture Ministry plans to spend 1.5 billion baht in the next few years to develop more advanced laboratories to detect modified foods. Labelling will be meaningful only if the FDA has already developed a technical capability. Consumers would be misled and left worse off if the labelling rules are hastily developed without a solid laboratory backup, said Siriwat Thiptharadol, deputy secretary-general of the Food and Drug Administration.

Labelling would be particularly important for soybean-based foods, which are consumed widely in the domestic market.

Analysts say new regulations must be implemented carefully and consumers educated accordingly.

At present, GM labelling is not a requirement for the domestic market.

Sakarindr Bhumiratana, director of the National Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (Biotec), said the country's existing laboratories could give only a qualitative assessment of whether products contained GM material.

The European Union ruled recently that GM labelling would not be required if the proportion of GM ingredients was below 1%. Japan does not require GM labelling if the figure is below 5%.

Analysts say the EU would likely review the situation in a year to see whether new testing methods were available, which would allow the 1% figure to be reduced.

As a result, scientists are now trying to find common approaches to analyse GM ingredients
quantitatively.

The European Commission's Joint Research Centre is expected to be able to announce new guidelines to test GM ingredients by March.

After that, Biotec and other agencies will be able to acquire equipment and develop their own
technical competence.


The research centre functions as a reference centre for science and technology for 15 nations.

Newin Chidchob, deputy agriculture minister, said he supported food labelling because it provided a choice for customers.

Sethasan Sethakarun, vice-president of the Soybean and Rice Bran Oil Processors' Association and a Thai Vegetable Oil executive, said local sales of soybean oil were not affected by the GM issue.

Although it was impossible to detect the level of proteins in vegetable oil, the company was able to supply customers with non-GM oil which now accounts for only 10% of current supply.

In a related development, Kibun Food Chemifa Co, Japan's largest soybean milk maker, said it had ceased using ingredients derived from GM products in order to protect consumers.

The company plans to use rice bran oil as a substitute for corn oil and replace high-fructose corn with sugar syrup.