Brussels, 30 May 2007

Brussels, 7 June 2007 - Euro Coop, the European Community of Consumer Co-operatives, asks the EU Agriculture Council not to allow any contamination of organic products by GMOs over the detection level of 0,1% thus confirming the decision taken on 22 May 2007 by the European Parliament (EP).

“It is of the utmost importance – says Euro Coop Food Policy Officer Laura Street – that organic food is not affected by GMOs”. “Organic food – she continues - is trusted by European consumers to guarantee high quality environmental standards and no genetic engineering in its production process. To allow traces of GM contamination up to 0.9% would then convey unclear, if not misleading, messages to consumers, and would therefore undermine consumer confidence in organic products."

Euro Coop Policy Adviser Rosita Zilli then adds that if the EU Agriculture Council does not confirm the decision taken by the European Parliament “the trustworthiness of the European Institutions would take a bitter blow since the EP - i.e. the body representing European citizens – has almost reached unanimity when voting this dossier”.

EURO COOP is the European Community of Consumer Cooperatives, whose members are the national organisations of consumer cooperatives in 17 European countries. Created in 1957, EURO COOP today represents over 3,200 local and regional cooperatives, the members of which amount to more than 22 million consumers across Europe.

For further information, please contact:
Rosita Zilli, Policy Adviser, Euro Coop
Tel: +32 (0)2 285 00 72, Fax: +32 (0)2 231 07 57
E-mail: Rzilli@eurocoop.coop

Street Laura, Food Policy Officer, Euro Coop
Tel: +32 (0)2 285 00 74, Fax: +32 (0)2 231 07 57
E-mail: Lstreetateurocoop.coop