LANGUAGE

GMO Labeling Laws per Country

By Mae Margaret Macahilo

Genetically engineered food has been a controversial issue in the food industry. Opinions are divided as to whether genetically modified foods are harmful or not. Due to the lack of concrete evidence proving that genetically modified foods are indeed detrimental to health, many countries do not have mandatory GMO labeling laws in place.

GMO Labeling Laws

If you look at the table below, only three countries implement a complete and total ban of genetically engineered (GE) food both imported and cultivated. Most of the countries in the EU region, Australia and New Zealand implement mandatory labeling with up to 1% labeling threshold of GMO content.

Some Asian countries, Brazil, South Africa and Ukraine also implement mandatory food labeling on many of their GE foods but with higher threshold for GMO content.

Many Asian and Latin American countries as well as some African countries have their labeling law on some GE foods but with numerous exception. They also do not implement a labeling threshold on GMO content.

Country	Labelling Law	Labeling Threshold
Benin	Official ban on GE food imports and cultivation	0 threshold
Serbia	Official ban on GE food imports and cultivation	0 threshold
Zambia	Official ban on GE food imports and cultivation	0 threshold
Canada	No GE food labeling laws	N/A
Mexico	No GE food labeling laws	N/A
United States	No GE food labeling laws	N/A
Australia	Mandatory labeling of nearly all GE foods	0.9 – 1% GMO content
Austria	Mandatory labeling of nearly all GE foods	0.9 – 1% GMO content
Belarus	Mandatory labeling of nearly all GE foods	0.9 – 1% GMO content
Belgium	Mandatory labeling of nearly all GE foods	0.9 – 1% GMO content
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Mandatory labeling of nearly all GE foods	0.9 – 1% GMO content
Bulgaria	Mandatory labeling of nearly all GE foods	0.9 – 1% GMO content
Croatia	Mandatory labeling of nearly all GE foods	0.9 – 1% GMO content
Cyprus	Mandatory labeling of nearly all GE foods	0.9 – 1% GMO content
Czech Republic	Mandatory labeling of nearly all GE foods	0.9 – 1% GMO content
Denmark	Mandatory labeling of nearly all GE foods	0.9 – 1% GMO content
Estonia	Mandatory labeling of nearly all GE foods	0.9 – 1% GMO content
Finland	Mandatory labeling of nearly all GE foods	0.9 – 1% GMO content
France	Mandatory labeling of nearly all GE foods	0.9 – 1% GMO content
Germany	Mandatory labeling of nearly all GE foods	0.9 – 1% GMO content
Greece	Mandatory labeling of nearly all GE foods	0.9 – 1% GMO content
Hungary	Mandatory labeling of nearly all GE foods	0.9 – 1% GMO content
Iceland	Mandatory labeling of nearly all GE foods	0.9 – 1% GMO content
Ireland	Mandatory labeling of nearly all GE foods	0.9 – 1% GMO content
Italy	Mandatory labeling of nearly all GE foods	0.9 – 1% GMO content
Kazakhstan	Mandatory labeling of nearly all GE foods	0.9 – 1% GMO content
Latvia	Mandatory labeling of nearly all GE foods	0.9 – 1% GMO content
Lithuania	Mandatory labeling of nearly all GE foods	0.9 – 1% GMO content
Luxembourg	Mandatory labeling of nearly all GE foods	0.9 – 1% GMO content
Malta	Mandatory labeling of nearly all GE foods	0.9 – 1% GMO content
Netherlands	Mandatory labeling of nearly all GE foods	0.9 – 1% GMO content
New Zealand	Mandatory labeling of nearly all GE foods	0.9 – 1% GMO content
Norway	Mandatory labeling of nearly all GE foods	0.9 – 1% GMO content
Poland	Mandatory labeling of nearly all GE foods	0.9 – 1% GMO content
Portugal	Mandatory labeling of nearly all GE foods	0.9 – 1% GMO content
Romania	Mandatory labeling of nearly all GE foods	0.9 – 1% GMO content
Russia	Mandatory labeling of nearly all GE foods	0.9 – 1% GMO content
Saudi Arabia	Mandatory labeling of nearly all GE foods	0.9 – 1% GMO content
Slovakia	Mandatory labeling of nearly all GE foods	0.9 – 1% GMO content
Slovenia	Mandatory labeling of nearly all GE foods	0.9 – 1% GMO content
Spain	Mandatory labeling of nearly all GE foods	0.9 – 1% GMO content
Sweden	Mandatory labeling of nearly all GE foods	0.9 – 1% GMO content
Switzerland	Mandatory labeling of nearly all GE foods	0.9 – 1% GMO content
Turkey	Mandatory labeling of nearly all GE foods	0.9 – 1% GMO content
United Kingdom	Mandatory labeling of nearly all GE foods	0.9 – 1% GMO content
Brazil	Mandatory labeling of many GE foods	1% or higher or undefined GMO content
China	Mandatory labeling of many GE foods	1% or higher or undefined GMO content
Indonesia	Mandatory labeling of many GE foods	1% or higher or undefined GMO content
Japan	Mandatory labeling of many GE foods	1% or higher or undefined GMO content
Kenya	Mandatory labeling of many GE foods	1% or higher or undefined GMO content
Malaysia	Mandatory labeling of many GE foods	1% or higher or undefined GMO content
South Africa	Mandatory labeling of many GE foods	1% or higher or undefined GMO content
South Korea	Mandatory labeling of many GE foods	1% or higher or undefined GMO content
Sri Lanka	Mandatory labeling of many GE foods	1% or higher or undefined GMO content
Ukraine	Mandatory labeling of many GE foods	1% or higher or undefined GMO content
Bolivia	Mandatory labeling of some GE foods with many exceptions	Not defined
Ecuador	Mandatory labeling of some GE foods with many exceptions	Not defined
India	Mandatory labeling of some GE foods with many exceptions	Not defined
Jordan	Mandatory labeling of some GE foods with many exceptions	Not defined
Mauritius	Mandatory labeling of some GE foods with many exceptions	Not defined
Peru	Mandatory labeling of some GE foods with many exceptions	Not defined
Senegal	Mandatory labeling of some GE foods with many exceptions	Not defined
Taiwan	Mandatory labeling of some GE foods with many exceptions	Not defined
Thailand	Mandatory labeling of some GE foods with many exceptions	Not defined
Tunisia	Mandatory labeling of some GE foods with many exceptions	Not defined
Vietnam	Mandatory labeling of some GE foods with many exceptions	Not defined

Reference:

US GMO Labeling

US consumers have mixed opinions regarding GMO labeling. There is no mandated GMO labeling law in the US because the government believes that the nature of the product is more important than the production process. GM foods are seen to help eliminate food deserts, which are quickly becoming a problem in some US states.

US is the leading producer of GM foods. The government regulates GM foods similar to traditional ones, which keeps public safety, health and environmental safety in mind.

Canada GMO Labeling

Although a large number of Canadians wanted GM labeling in their country, the government has not made any significant move to implement mandatory GM labeling and establishing content thresholds. In fact, the Canadian government offered very minimal information regarding GM foods that some Canadians never even heard of them.

It’s not that Canada does not want a GM labeling in place. Rather, the government aims to prevent additional legal framework as well as possible duplication of regulatory agencies. Currently, Canada practices their existing regulations for their traditional products to GM foods.

EU GMO Labeling

EU has a clear and definite legal framework when it comes to GM labeling. Based on their evaluation report, their GM labeling legislation is effective in upholding both human and animal health. Despite the mandatory labeling and strict regulations set by the EU, NGOs, farmers, retailers and consumer organizations alike are satisfied with EU’s GM labeling legislation.

Official Ban GE Food Imports and Cultivation

Despite the massive food shortage, Zambia chooses to ban GM foods in their country. In fact, the government rejected 35,000 tons of food aid just because there is a possibility that it contain GM foods.

Serbia also imposes a total ban of GM food importation and cultivation in their country. Their geographical location makes it easier to impose such law because the EU is strict when it comes to GM foods. Serbia remains one of the top cultivators of GMO-free soy.

Benin is the third country to ban all GM foods in their country. The ban originally took place in 2002 and was further extended in 2008 to prevent importation, selling and use in the country. The total ban provides protection to its consumers and farmers alike while there is still no definite decision as to GMO’s impact on health and the environment.

About the Author
Mae Margaret Macahilo is a contributing writer to Food Quality Writer Works. She specializes in writing/blogging, SEO and keyword research, social media management, Internet research and data entry, management of WordPress sites, email list building and email marketing.

Note: This article is reprinted with the permission of Food Quality Magazine.

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