In June and July, lawmakers in Ukraine, the US and Russia were obstinately worrying about regulations on GMOs containing foods – INFAGRO.

Despite the fact that bioengineered food and crops have long been widely spread around the world, the span of attitudes and approaches to GMOs legislation is ranging from simply “to ban” (Russia), “to ban for some time, then maybe reconsider”(Ukraine) to “let consumers read the label, call, ask, decide for themselves whether to buy it or not”(USA).

Ukraine. On July 13, MP Mykola Lyushnyak proposed that Ukraine introduce a moratorium on GMOs and registered in the Verkhovna Rada the Draft Law # 4968 “On amendments to some legislative acts of Ukraine regarding the introduction till 2023 the moratorium on growing of genetically modified crops, production, processing, circulation, transit and the import of GMOs capable of reproduction or transmission of hereditary factors”.

Not so long ago, in November 2015, Ukragroconsult analyst Olga Mozgova commented on the status of GMOs in Ukraine: “In our country the GMOs crops are being actively grown, and, hence, they are used. Most sorts of soy, corn, potatoes, tomatoes and others are of bioengineered sorts. Esitmately, their share in total plantings of these crops in the country may reach 50-70%, “- she said to business-vesti.com (link to page in Russian).

Russia. Late June the State Duma of the Russian Federationin adopted the final version of the bill on the comprehensive ban on the cultivation and breeding of genetically modified plants and animals, with the exception of their use for the purpose of scientific research.

Duma also has given the Russian government the right to prohibit the imports of products containing GMOs, if it turns out that a specific GMO have a negative impact on human health and/or the environment.

Minister of Agriculture of the Russian Federation, Alexander Tkachev said: “The Ministry of Agriculture stands strongly against GMOs, Russian products will be clean”.

USA. New legislation designed to offer consumers more information about genetically engineered ingredients in their food passed in the US House of Representatives. The bill says that bioengineered foods will not be treated as safer or less safe than non-bioengineered foods. It stated that an animal would not be “considered a bioengineered food solely because the animal consumed feed produced from, containing, or consisting of a bioengineered substance”.

In addition, food producers will now print the phone number on the label, so that consumers can get more clarification, or they can read detailed information about GMOs via QR code.

Manufacturers are expecting the signing of the Bill by the President of the USA.

During the discussion the Bill was supported by 1000 US companies, who now claim that they finally managed to overcome those groups who for years created a negative image of bioengineered food.

Those dissatisfied note the weakness of certain provisions of the document, particularly those relating to the labeling, saying that they cannot imagine that “a mother shopping with her children is going to stop in the middle of the food aisle to call a company or go on a website to check the content of every product they would like to buy”.

INFAGRO