BA Festival of Science GM

Sunday 7 September 2008

Speech to BA Festival Science on genetically modified food (GM).

The Food Standards Agency has been around for a relatively short time – eight years – in that time we have built our reputation on ensuring that we have food in the UK which is safe to eat. Where we know the science and evidence support it we give advice on healthy eating. Look at our campaign on reducing salt in the diet and giving advice via front- of -pack labelling for the direction and tone of our recent work.

Our own research tells us that the most important food issues for consumers are the amount of salt, fat and sugar in food and food poisoning. To give some perspective: five times more people were worried about food poisoning than about genitically modified(GM) food when we asked them recently.

It seems to some observers that the recent increase in food prices — at least those caused by movements in commodity prices, including dairy and wheat, are structural. Is this one reason to have consumers re-consider GM foods, along with other technologies? Another might be the significant pressures on food supply chains around the world — not usually a primary concern for hard pressed mums here in the UK.

At the FSA we're concerned with making sure food is safe and that you are well informed about the food offered for sale.

So how could GM food change your weekly supermarket trip? Forget the Frankenstein food idea — things won't look any different, but in the future there could be advantages for both your health and your purse, from foods with a higher vitamin content to crops with higher yields but this isn’t yet a reality.

At the moment the few ingredients that are GM - things like maize flour, oil from oilseed rape – have been shown, after detailed analysis by an independent panel, to be as safe as their non GM counterparts for food and animal feed use.

We are science and evidence - based when we make our decisions. We are independent. We will listen to independent scientific studies and make sure your interests are put first.

So if new GM foods are introduced we will make sure that they are safe to eat and that you know what you are buying. You can then decide if GM food has a place in the UK market. There is no point in supermarkets putting a product on the shelf which consumers don’t want and if there is no compelling reason to buy those products all the evidence is we won’t buy them.

Back to the economic argument:

Food prices around the world today are the highest they’ve been since 1945; with the prices of wheat and rice now double what they were a year ago.

In the UK, higher food prices means that poorer families are now spending a greater proportion of their income on food – 16% compared with an average of 13%. This trend is a new phenomenon.

The cost of bread and cereals has gone up by over 15%, oils and fats by nearly 30%, and vegetables (including potatoes) by 11%.

It is estimated that the premium or additional cost of non-GM vs GM food ingredients is 25% for soya and over 16% for vegetable oils and margarines. So, it would be fair to speculate that, as the proportion of GM crops increases year-on-year, non-GM food will become an increasingly expensive option for manufacturers and retailers and, ultimately, us as shoppers.

So the economics of supply are pushing us to look again at the issue. To re-think what GM food means for us all.

A range of traditional and innovative ideas need to be thought about. GM food will not provide all the solutions now but it could help in the future.

Let’s Look at the science

We look at the evidence first. Assess the risks. Then tell the public when and if we have any concerns.

GM ingredients and animal feedstuffs which have been approved, after a detailed analysis by the European Food Safety Authority, are as safe as their non-GM (or conventional) counterparts.

This remains the view of the Food Standards Agency.

However, there are views also expressed by other voices - as on the panel here today — about it being too soon to know about the effects of GM food.

But what about consumers – what does it mean for them?

As Chief Executive of the FSA, I see our independence as key to our role in relation to GM foods. That we put the consumer first – they are at the heart of what we do.

In case it’s not already clear: I’m Mr Consumer, not Mr Scientist.

My role is to look at GM food and think how does it matter to the busy parent in the supermarket looking at the shelves? What do they need to know?

If GM food was to offer real consumer benefits such as being significantly cheaper or having a longer shelf life, then consumers might be more interested in the technology.

Conclusion

To put it simply, the FSA is interested in two things about GM food – safety and consumer choice.

If a GM product has undergone a rigorous, independent safety assessment and has been permitted – it is as safe as its conventional counterpart.

GM ingredients or products will be labelled and it will then be up to you to decide if you want to eat GM food. If you decide not to buy GM food, then it will be your choice.

Ultimately consumers will decide whether GM food is viable in this country. It’s down to simple economics – if people don’t buy GM products then supermarkets will not sell them.

As we all recognise, as circumstances change so might consumer’s perspectives. Informed debate to ensure the best possible consumer understanding is needed and the FSA is keen to be the catalyst for that discussion.

At present I am applying the resources of the Agency in campaigns addressing today’s significant issues – reducing foodborne diseases, tackling nutritional priorities: reducing saturated fat and sugar in food and continuing our work in salt reduction. GM food may yet play a part in tomorrow’s agenda but alongside other technologies, new and old.

If GM products find a place in the UK market then they will be as safe as other foods.

There has been lots of speculation about what GM technology may bring us – from peanuts without allergens to strawberries that don’t go mushy, from drought resistant crops to cheaper food for all of us. Great ideas but some distance away from being a reality.

Ultimately, it is up to each of us to decide what we want to eat. If GM food can bring benefits to the world that can’t be realised by conventional crops or other technologies, then the FSA will make sure that you have the information you need to make choices for you and your family.