Press

Major retailers in favour of clear GMO regulations and stable food prices

11/29/2023 - In a joint open letter, food retailers from Germany and Austria have appealed to the EU Commission and the European Parliament to secure freedom of choice, "Ohne Gentechnik" (Non GMO) and organic farming and stable food prices in the planned GMO re-regulation.

GMO deregulation threatens to drive up food prices

In the open letter, companies from Rewe Group, Tegut and Hofer to Spar Austria are warning of additional costs in food production due to the EU Commission's current GMO plans, firstly as a result of increased costs to maintain the status absence of GMO and secondly due to patents on "new GMO" plants. Both threatens to increase food prices for consumers.

Unusually strong and multi-voiced appeal from the retail industry

"The EU Commission and Members of Parliament must take this urgent, unusually multi-voiced appeal from the retailers seriously. The deregulation planned so far would massively violate economic and consumer interests. The threat of food price hikes has hardly been taken into account so far - but it is absolutely necessary that this is done before such far-reaching laws are passed," comments Alexander Hissting, Managing Director of the German Association for Food without Genetic Engineering (VLOG).

Food retailers’ core demands to the EU Commission and European Parliament:

•    Freedom of choice for consumers must be preserved
•     Organic farming should continue to be promoted and not threatened
•    Particularly important in times of high inflation: food price stability must not be jeopardised by new regulatory measures, thereby fuelling inflation once again
•    The unclear legal situation regarding patentability should be comprehensively examined in advance in an impact assessment before such a far-reaching legal act becomes European law

The joint open letter to the EU Commission and the European Parliament is supported by the Rewe Group (including the retailers Rewe, Penny and Billa in Germany, Austria and other European countries), Tegut, and in Austria Hofer, Spar, UniGruppe (with Unimarkt, Nah & Frisch and Land lebt auf), Denn's BioMarkt, Sutterlüty Ländlemarkt and the Austrian Retail Association.

Open letter from the retailers to EU-KOM and MEPs (German)

Open letter from the retailers to EU-KOM and MEPs (English)

ARGE Gentechnik-frei: Retailers demand clear regulations for new genetic engineering (German)