Shenzhen Consumer v. Food Oil GMO Labelling Not Obvious Case Opened Yesterday

A consumer in Shenzhen filed a lawsuit against a supermarket and a manufacturer because he felt that the labeling of edible oil produced by goldfish using genetically modified materials was not significant enough.

The highly concerned case was heard in Luohu Court of Shenzhen yesterday.

On August 21 this year, Ms. Zhao, a Shenzhen citizen, bought a bottle of 1:1:1 edible blending oil for goldfish at a Wal-Mart supermarket in Shenzhen. When she returned home, she found that the oil was a genetically modified soybean product. At yesterday's court hearing, Zhang Xingbin, its attorney, said that under the background of widespread controversy in the scientific community and the public, supermarkets did not set up special counters to sell GM goods, but mixed GM goods with non-GM goods, which made it difficult for consumers to distinguish.

The plaintiff pointed out that under the condition that GM commodities must be clearly marked by the state, the producers Yihai (Guangzhou) Grain and Oil Industry Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Yihai Kerry Food Marketing Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Yihai Kerry Food Marketing Co., Ltd.) only marked the product "processed raw materials are GM soybeans" in an indistinct font in the ingredient composition, while the state did not stipulate that the traditional non-GM food must be used. When the word "non-GMO" should be marked, it should be marked "non-GMO" in a prominent position and be used as a selling point of commodities.

In the light of the above, the plaintiff considers that the manufacturer and distributor have done this behavior, which shows that they are well aware of the safety disputes of GM commodities, and requires the court to order the manufacturer to indicate in the positive prominent position of the commodities the words "this product is GM product, the safety is still controversial, please choose carefully".

Wal-Mart attorneys believe that supermarkets strictly abide by relevant laws and regulations in terms of goods checking and labeling, and that the lawsuit should be a dispute between producers and consumers. The supermarket party is not responsible.

The lawyer for Yihai Grain and Oil said that the relevant standards issued by the Ministry of Agriculture clearly specify the location and font size of GM markers. Regarding the location of the markers, the standard requires that the GM markers should be placed next to the product ingredient list; the font height should not be less than 1.8mm. Therefore, the edible oil produced by the defendant meets the relevant regulations of the state.