Eoghan Murphy (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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229. To ask the Minister for Health his policy in relation on the labelling of GMO ingredients in foods. [33681/13]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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Ireland adopts a “positive but precautionary” stance on GMO food and feed matters, considers the advice of EFSA with regard to authorisations, and votes with the European Commission once assured of the safety of the product. The only GM food ingredients that are authorised in the EU and that may, as a consequence, be marketed in Ireland are soya bean, maize, oilseed rape, cotton, sugar beet and starch potato. Under current EU legislation, if more than 0.9% of a food or a food ingredient is derived from a GM source, then it must be labelled accordingly. Even if the GM ingredient is present in a food but below the 0.9% threshold level, operators must be in a position to demonstrate that they tried to obtain the food or ingredient from a non-GM source and that its presence is due to cross contamination. Non-authorised GMOs are not allowed at any level.