GM foods are covered by extensive label controls which where implemented in Europe in 1997, and the legislation recently updated in 2000.

The European Commission generated a study focusing specifically on consumers which revealed that 67.9% of them were concerned about the safety of food products. The Commission therefore decided to conduct an information campaign on food safety in the 15 Member States of the European Union in 1998 and 1999.

The Eurobarometer study revealed that consumers were most concerned about labelling particularly E numbers and other food safety elements, the traceability of foodstuffs and genetically modified organisms.

The Codex Alimentarius Commission, this year drafted guidelines which states that additional nutritional labelling might in fact confuse the consumer further. The scientific data which is still being gathered suggested that it was not justifiable to include further nutritional data on food products at the present time.

The inclusion of an additional 5 nutrients may not be beneficial to all countries in developing their national legislations, and would fail to address the nutritional needs of the consumer' understanding of nutrition labels. Codex is made up of the Food and Agriculture Organization part of the United Nations, and the World Health Organization.

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