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Food Labeling

I. INTRODUCTION

1. The first foods and food ingredients developed through recombinant DNA technologies have reached commercialization and more are nearing commercial distribution. In response to these developments, Member States of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (the Codex) are evaluating questions regarding appropriate labeling for these products. Delegates to a recent meeting of the Codex Committee on Food Labeling (CCFL) agreed that this issue should be addressed, and the US Delegation to the Committee offered to draft a discussion paper on labeling issues.

The discussion paper prepared by the US Delegation to the Codex Committee on Food Labeling presents a highly unbalanced view of the labeling issue that greatly favors the interests of the biotechnology industry at the expense of the broader interests of private citizens and consumers. The rationale presented in the discussion paper relies heavily on arguments that are scientifically untenable. After receiving comments on this discussion paper from a large number of organizations within the US and around the world, the US Delegation released their own comments on the discussion paper. These comments did not incorporate any of the significant and valid comments submitted by other organizations, but merely reiterate and defend the position of the original discussion paper.

In the interest of presenting a broader perspective on the labeling issue, we have prepared the following paper. This paper addresses, point by point, the issues raised in the paper prepared by the US Delegation to the CCFL, but strives to present a more balanced view of the labeling issue, one that respects and reflects the needs and concerns of a broader spectrum of the stake holders in this issue. This paper also strives to base all assessments of potential labeling policies on rigorous scientific principles and research observations. The points contained in this paper are numbered...

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