Biotech Updates

Ukraine to Set up GMO Testing Labs

July 3, 2009

Ukraine's president Victor Yushchenko has ordered the Cabinet of Ministers to set-up a chain of laboratories that will test for the presence of GMO materials in food, according to a report by the National Radio of Ukraine. Yuschenko also instructed the Cabinet to facilitate the creation of a national center that will coordinate the operations of the test laboratories.

Ukraine adopted a draft resolution that requires labeling of food products that contain GM materials early this year. The resolution dictates that products containing over 0.1% of GM materials should be labeled from July 1, 2009. However, the deadline had been postponed until January 1, 2010 since Ukraine did not have enough GMO testing laboratories. According to experts, the country needs at least 25 laboratories to effectively monitor food products for presence of GMOs.

The article is available at http://www.nrcu.gov.ua/index.php?id=148&listid=93463