Europeans are more optimistic about biotechnology than ever before,
but this acceptance does not extend to their view of genetically
modified foods, according to a new survey. The Eurobarometer report,
which is the sixth in a series of surveys conducted since 1991, reveals
that although Europeans generally support the use of medical and
industrial biotechnology, their overall feeling on genetically modified
(GM) food is that it should not be encouraged. «GM food is widely seen
as not being useful, as morally unacceptable and as a risk for society,»
said the report. Based on a representative sample of 25,000
respondents- approximately 1,000 from each EU Member State, the survey
reveals that 58 percent of Europeans oppose GM food. Greatest opposition
is seen in Austria, Greece, Hungary, Germany and Latvia. Countries with
the highest level of acceptance for GM foods include Malta, the Czech
Republic, the Netherlands, Spain, Belgium and Portugal. The
controversial debate surrounding the use of genetically modified
organisms in food took a step forward in February when a landmark WTO
decision ruled that the EU and six member states broke trade rules by
barring entry to GM crops and foods. By agreeing with the United States,
Argentina and Canada that an effective moratorium on GM imports between
June 1999 and August 2003 had been put in place, the ruling effectively
opened up the European market to GM food. Consumer choice has now
become the ideal that both the supporting and the opposing camps claim
to hold. Anti-GM campaigners argue that GM crops will cause widespread
contamination, leaving consumers with no GM-free choice at all. Pro-GM
forces on the other hand argue that consumers must be given the choice,
and that the WTO ruling backs this up. According to the new report, «the
introduction of the new regulations on the commercialisation of GM
crops and the labelling of GM food appears to have done little to allay
the European public’s anxieties about agri-food biotechnology.
Category: Quality
Source: Nutraingredients.com