Consumer associations have requested a meeting with large-scale retailers to discuss how to continue guaranteeing transparency on products following the approval of the deregulation of new GMOs.
As the European Parliament prepares to approve around mid-June the regulation on new genomic techniques (NGT or NBT), the so-called new GMOs, Italian consumer associations have written to the main large-scale retail chains operating in Italy to open a dialogue and possibly present a united front, with the aim of ensuring that products to be sold in the future are subject to the same rules as traditional GMOs.
The new European rules do in fact provide for deregulation that would exempt NGT crops from the labelling, traceability and risk assessment rules that apply to GMOs, with the stated objective of making the food system more sustainable and resilient by developing and making accessible improved plant varieties that are resistant to climate change and pests, and that offer higher yields.
For consumer associations, this would represent an unprecedented step backwards in the system of guarantees built up over decades to protect European consumers: the right to know what one eats and to make informed choices would in practice be hollowed out. The regulation would also run entirely counter to the precautionary principle with regard to consequences for human health and the environment.
According to the results of the survey "NBT products & GMOs: consumer perception", conducted in December 2024 by Assobio through the Swg institute, 63 per cent of Italians believe the European Commission should not remove the obligation to indicate the presence of new GMOs on labels. Three quarters of the sample surveyed expressed concern over the consequences for human health (74 per cent), the loss of biodiversity (74 per cent), and the risk of increased allergies in humans (73 per cent).
Should the European Parliament approve the new regulation, all large-scale retailers would find themselves materially unable to guarantee and communicate to their customers the absence of ingredients derived from genetic engineering in their own-brand products. The "GMO-free" guarantee, as it has been built and communicated, would lose its meaning, causing obvious damage to the credibility and trust that these brands have succeeded in building over time.
The consumer associations that have signed the appeal are ACP-AIACE-SDC, ACU, Adiconsum, ADOC, Adusbef, Associazione URT, Assoutenti, Casa del Consumatore, Codacons, Codici, Confconsumatori, Federconsumatori, iConsumatori, Lega Consumatori, Movimento Consumatori, Movimento Difesa del Cittadino, Unione Nazionale Consumatori, Centro Tutela Consumatori Utenti. They are requesting an urgent meeting with the leadership of Coop Italia, Conad, Esselunga, Lidl, Selex, Aspiag, Poli, MPreis Italia, Aldi and Carrefour to discuss the consequences of the new regulation's approval. The aim of the talks will also be to explore how to curb the entry of these products onto the Italian market and what joint initiatives between large-scale retailers and consumer associations could be put in motion, bringing together supply and demand to safeguard consumer rights.