Sharp divisions remain among nations leery of GM foods and those that support them. Thirty of the 55 nations supported GM labeling standards, seven countries (including the U.S.) wanted to terminate the labeling discussions, and the other 18 countries declined to comment. Consumers International, which strongly supports international GM labeling guidelines, said 40 nations, accounting for one-third of the world’s population, have mandatory GM labeling. The U.S. is the biggest supplier of GM crops in the world.
Codex members discussed requiring that labels include the percentage of key ingredients instead of just listing them in order of predominance. Percentage ingredient labeling is already a requirement in the EU, Thailand, Australia, and New Zealand.
