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Hong Kong Rejects Compulsory Labelling Of GM Food

Hong Kong's government has rejected calls for the introduction of compulsory labelling of genetically modified (GM) foods.

Secretary for Environment and Food Lily Yam, in overruling a legislative vote in favour of such labelling, said there was no conclusive proof that GM foods are harmful, news reports said Thursday. Legislators in the territory late Tuesday voted unanimously in favor of compulsory labelling GM foods. Yam said a voluntary labelling system could be introduced, but she argued that a under a mandatory system it would be "difficult to define the scope and standards".

Arguing for mandatory labelling, legislator Christine Loh said: "Hong Kong has a third world food labelling system. We almost don't have one."

"The information on salt we have is less than is demanded on the mainland (China). We cannot be a world class city, which is Hong Kong's vision, when we have a third world food safety labelling system." Consumer awareness of the GM food issue has been slow to take root in Hong Kong and many products banned or subjected to mandatory labelling in Europe are still sold in the territory unlabelled. However, a series of protests by Greenpeace demonstrators who slapped stickers on supermarket food containing GM ingredients have helped push the issue into the political arena.