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: Productos
Source: Nutraingredients