7 % of the Bulgarian food contains GMO above 0.9% without labeling

During the period from 2004-2009 a total of 1304 samples of food placed on the Bulgarian market were tested for GMO by the national Food Safety Agency. GMOs were found in 448 (more than 34%) of the samples and in 94 or 7.2% of them the percentage of GMO was more than 2%.

Only 2 of the samples tested were labeled as containing GMO. In 2009, the produce of 64% of Bulgarian food companies contained more GMO than allowed by law, as compared with only 30% for the period from 2005 to 2008. The Food Safety report gives no information about any sanctions imposed on companies which do not comply with the Genetically Modified Foods Act (GMFA).

The above information was not released to the public by the Food Safety Agency but was found by the AGROLINK Association and can be found at the Agency web site:

http://www.sriokoz.com/documents/temi/hrani/Internet%20GMO%20food_sept_09.htm

The information was released at a time of fierce public debate on the proposed amendments to the GMFA and AGROLINK’s campaign to ban Monsanto’s genetic modified maize MON810.

It is clear that Bulgarian institutions are unable to control GMO on the market. The proposed liberalization of the GMFA raises the issue of how the Bulgarian government will control GMO without the necessary capacity and political will. Bulgaria is running against the trend in many European countries and assertions that the amendments to the law will harmonise it with EU legislation are inconsistent with the reality of implementation of the law in the country, said Svetla Nikolova from the AGROLINK Association.

< Prev		Next >