The Consumers' Association has welcomed the introduction of new EU rules giving consumers more information about the use of genetic modification by extending labelling to GM derived ingredients.

Forum Response: Consumers' Association

Sue Davies, principal policy adviser at Consumers' Association, said: "The new legislation coming into effect today will require GM ingredients to be traced and will force food producers to state clearly where GM products have been used. This is long over-due and great news for consumers.

"CA research has repeatedly shown that consumers have concerns about GM and want fuller labelling. At last we will have much clearer information about the extent to which GM is being used so that we can make more informed choices about what we eat."

Forum Response: British Retail Consortium

Richard Ali, director of Food Policy at the BRC, said: "UK retailers have been leading the rest of Europe on providing information on whether products contain GM ingredients. The new rules will provide customers in the rest of Europe with the same level of information that UK customers have been enjoying for years.

"UK retailers continue to have a non-GM policy in their own brand foods. We provide total choice for our customers. Whatever a customer wants, they can find it - clearly labelled - on the shelves.

"It is therefore unfortunate that recent weeks have seen a state of unscientific, misleading campaigns by some pressure groups who are intent on spreading misinformation and food angst for political and fundraising reasons, while they should be celebrating the fact that the new rules have finally raised labelling in the EU to UK levels."

Forum Response: National Consumer Council

Sue Dibb, senior policy officer at the National Consumer Council, said: "These new rules are an important piece in the jigsaw of legal controls on GM which NCC has campaigned for. They are a welcome extension to the labelling and traceability rules that will give consumers more information and greater choice about what they eat.