Food manufacturers face extra costs and the potential risk of GMOs entering the food chain as new GMO rules for imported feed. The new European Commission regulation aims to harmonise rules for the control of imports of feed materials from countries such as North and South America, which may contain traces of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) not covered by EU authorisations.
It sets out a ‘technical zero’ of 0.1 per cent for unauthorised GM presence in imported feed, while the ‘zero tolerance’ level for food still applies.
However, Richard Werran, managing director of the non-GMO certification body, Cert ID Europe, said that food and feed are so interlinked that the new rules could pose a risk to ingredients companies and manufacturers.
He told FoodNavigator.com: “Everybody in the food business knows that food and feed chains are not separated or segregated, they overlap.
“It is not unusual for a food ingredients manufacturer to source feed grade raw materials to produce food additives and ingredients.”
An example of this hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP), which is used in many savoury products, from baked goods to flavour enhances.
Werran added: “We are seeing a relaxation on the feed side that is going to give the food side a problem.
“There could be implicit exposure of unauthorised GMO.
“It is therefore essential that food and feed operators test risk ingredients using the latest protocols to detect LLP (low level presence) of unauthorised GMOs.”
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