Summaries of EU Legislation
Summaries of EU legislation: direct access to the main summaries page.
- Date of last review: 24/11/2015
- Initial creation date: 19/01/2011
- Summary code:
03.03.03.00 Agriculture / Food / Genetically modified organisms
09.03.01.02 Consumers / Consumer safety / Consumer health / Genetically modified organisms (GMOs)
09.05.01.02 Consumers / Product labelling and packaging / Labelling of Food products / Genetically modified organisms (GMOs)
20.07.05.00 Environment and climate change / Protection of nature and biodiversity / Genetically modified organisms
30.03.05.00 Food safety / Animal nutrition / Genetically modified feedingstuffs
30.07.05.00 Food safety / Contamination and environmental factors / Contamination due to genetically modified organisms
30.09.01.00 Food safety / Specific themes / Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) - EUROVOC descriptor:
animal feedingstuffs
human nutrition
consumer information
health control
marketing standard
market approval
genetically modified organism
labelling - Directory code:
03.50.10.00 Agriculture / Approximation of laws and health measures / Animal feedingstuffs
13.30.14.00 Industrial policy and internal market / Internal market: approximation of laws / Foodstuffs
15.20.30.00 Environment, consumers and health protection / Consumers / Protection of health and safety
- Summarized document(s):
32003R1829
- Author: Publications Office
Genetically modified food & feed
SUMMARY OF:
Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 on genetically modified food and feed
SUMMARY
WHAT DOES THIS REGULATION DO?
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It lays down rules on how genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are authorised and supervised, and on how genetically modified food and animal feed is labelled.
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It aims to protect:
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KEY POINTS
The regulation applies to:
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GMOs used in food or in animal feed
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food or animal feed containing GMOs
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food or feed made with or containingingredients made using GMOs.
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Applying for authorisation
1. | Producers submit a single application covering all uses: food, animal feed and cultivation. |
2. | Within 2 weeks the competent authority in the relevant EU country acknowledges receipt and informs the European Food and Safety Authority (EFSA). |
3. | EFSA has 6 months to assess the application. |
Risk management
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The European Commission is responsible for risk management.
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Based on EFSA’s assessment, the Commission drafts a recommendation to accept or reject the application.
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The proposal is sent to the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health.
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If the committee accepts the proposal, the Commission adopts it. If not, the Council assesses the draft decision, and decides whether or not the Commission should adopt it.
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Labelling
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Food and feed containing GMOs should be clearly labelled.
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But if food or feed contains less than 0.9 % GMOs, it does not need to be labelled – as long as the GMO content is technically unavoidable.
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BACKGROUND
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KEY TERM
* Genetically modified organism: an organism whose genetic material has been altered by means of genetic engineering to include genes that it would not normally contain.
ACT
Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 September 2003 on genetically modified food and feed (OJ L 268, 18.10.2003, pp. 1–23)
Successive amendments to Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 have been incorporated into the original text. This consolidated version is of documentary value only.
RELATED ACTS
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 503/2013 of 3 April 2013 on applications for authorisation of genetically modified food and feed in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council and amending Commission Regulations (EC) No 641/2004 and (EC) No 1981/2006 (OJ L 157, 8.6.2013, pp. 1–48)
Directive (EU) 2015/412 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 March 2015 amending Directive 2001/18/EC as regards the possibility for the Member States to restrict or prohibit the cultivation of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in their territory (OJ L 68, 13.3.2015, pp. 1–8)
last update 24.11.2015
