Genetically modified (GM) foods and food safety remain critical issues for the whole industry. Recently, the Codex Alimentarius Committee on General Principles met in Paris to define how biotechnology is treated in food safety standards, as the scientific consensus and decisions reached will affect the way other international regulatory bodies regard food safety.
When considering safety in relation to GM food, generalisations cannot validly be made. In fact, labelling of GM food is a dynamic issue receiving global attention. Legally, the European Union requires labels on any food with one per cent or more of genetically modified ingredients. Asian countries such as Japan and Korea will also introduce its labelling system by 2001.
Public debate over these issues force authorities to set up and update laws and regulations for the food industry including the agricultural, food manufacturing, catering and retailing industries. At the same time, the industry is undertaking intensive researches on new technologies for efficient and cost-effective ways to produce new product varieties.