Lessons from EU voluntary Labelling Schemes for GM-Free Processed Food Products

In the European Union, a mandatory GMO labeling law for food and feed products that contain more than 0.9 % EU-approved GMOs has been in place since the early 2000s. This law does not include animal products derived from animals that were fed with GM feed. To enable consumers to also choose animal products derived from animals that were fed with non-GM feed only, some EU Member States have chosen to adopt national GM-free schemes. The labeling scheme in the EU results in three potential product categories: products labeled as GM following the mandatory labeling standard; products labeled as GM-free, following voluntary labeling standards; and non-labeled food products. In this chapter, we provide a short overview how the volunary GM-free standard for animal products in the European Union evolved since the introduction of GM foods