Consumer transparency in the production chain for plant varieties produced using new genomic techniques

Abstract

Plants edited with new genomic techniques (NGTs) currently fall under the Genetically Modified Organisms Directive (2001/18/EC) in the European Union. In the proposal of the European Commission, NGT plants are partially exempted from the regulations of this directive. The proposal makes a distinction between two categories of NGT plants: NGT-1 and NGT-2. NGT-1 category plants are considered equal to plants obtained through conventional breeding methods. These plants will not be labelled for the consumer, although they will be labelled as seeds. NGT-2 category plants may be labelled with additional information as a positive incentive. Labelling of seeds of varieties made with gene editing, but not the products, would mean that most steps in the production chain are transparent, but not the last step towards consumers. The “right to know” and increasing knowledge of gene-edited food is a common theme in food labelling towards consumers. Here, we describe current labelling regimes and registers and how these may be applied to provide transparency on gene-edited products to consumers. Furthermore, we also look into consumer studies, which indicate a greater acceptance of gene-edited food among consumers, especially when additional benefits such as sustainability are mentioned.