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The genetically modified raw materials and foodstuffs are liable to a very stringent set of conditions both in the European Union and the Czech Republic, too. The Czech laws and relevant regulations that are based on the EU food laws set down a number of obligations.

From the beginning of the year the manufacturers, importers and sellers are obliged to indicate in the labelling of foodstuffs containing genetically modified organisms (GMO) information notifying the consumers that the food is genially modified. Furthermore – the respective genetic modification has to be approved by the Department of Environment and the Ministry of Health.

The consumers cannot actually run into the products labelled “genetically modified” or “containing Genetically Modified Organisms” in the Czech shops so far. Inspectors of the Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority carried out control of the real situation. In the course of the last months they took 23 samples of raw materials and final foodstuffs from 15 registered and also non-registered manufacturers or importers, processing or importing soya. The samples were then analysed in a specialized CAFIA laboratory equipped with state-of-the-art devices.

The contents of more then 2% of the genetically modified organisms were detected in three samples – all the cases represented the genetic modification of soya DNA RoundUp Ready (RR) that has been approved both by the Department of Environment and the Ministry of Health. Two soya samples, however, were not labelled with a compulsory data relating to the GMO contents, CAFIA, therefore, prohibited their selling until the manufacturer takes a relevant corrective action.

But these cases do not represent any imminent risk for the consumers, as the RR-soya is a normally used and verified raw material. Yet, everybody should have a chance to decide whether they buy or not GM foodstuffs, therefore proper labelling of such foodstuffs is essential.

Photos relating to the article (CAFIA):

CAFIA carries out analyses detecting GMO both in foodstuffs and raw materials in laboratories of the CAFIA Regional Inspectorate in Brno, which has developed a department of biochemistry and molecular genetics. The laboratory is equipped with state-of-the-art devices necessary for the analyses, apart from other things also with the so-called Light-cycler (a device measuring quantitative Real-Time PCR) by Roche.