Authorisation of “science fiction food” criticised
“Novel foods such as nano products, bug burgers and cloned animal meat end up in super markets too easily. The new application procedure established by European Parliament cannot guarantee food safety and animal welfare.” That is what MEP Mrs Anja Hazekamp said in response to a vote in European Parliament on the authorisation of novel foods.
The Party for the Animals feels that futuristic foods such as nano products are authorised too easily under this new procedure. “Nano ingredients are tiny particles that are added to foods in order to keep them fresh longer, among other things. These particles are so small that they are extremely difficult to track, let alone guarantee their safety. Until there are adequate and non-animal test methods, nano technology food does not belong on supermarket shelves,” Mrs Hazekamp states. “With this new legislation, companies can seek approval for nano food without the existence of the specific test method. On top of that, the use of animal testing for nano food is not excluded.”
The meat, dairy and other products of cloned animals and their offspring is a second point of criticism for the Party for the Animals. Animal cloning is a cruel technology in which 90% of the animals either die or are born with deformities. The surviving clones are mainly used for breeding, which means that the products that are eventually sold, come from the cloned animal’s offspring. However, it is the offspring that is not included in the Novel Foods Regulation.
“This means that clone offspring products – the result of a great deal of animal suffering – can end up on your plate without any problem. This will remain the case at least until Brussels has finally completed its legislation on animal cloning, which has been under negotiation for five years now. A vast majority of citizens do not approve of clone products and now have these products forced on them, which is crazy,” says Anja Hazekamp.