Dear readers,

An intense International Green Week is behind us. GMO-free food and the “Ohne GenTechnik” (Non-GMO) seal were a prominent topic this year – on large posters around the exhibition grounds, at events and in publications such as Greenpeace's GMO supermarket check.

This is because the long-planned EU deregulation of new genetic engineering (NGT) seems to be in the final stages. Following the provisional approval of the Member States shortly before Christmas, final consultations and votes are still pending in the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers. Both bodies could – and should – still stop the ill-conceived law. This is also what VLOG is calling for, together with numerous other associations and organisations.

Whatever the decision, the “Ohne GenTechnik” seal will continue to stand for food produced without old and new genetic engineering. Deregulation could even make the seal even more important.

At the International Green Week, VLOG exchanged views with numerous politicians and stakeholders. They are all aware of the importance of our industry. We will continue to engage in dialogue, particularly when it comes to developing solutions for dealing with new genetic engineering.

The International Non-GMO Summit on 13 May in Frankfurt, Germany, is this year's key industry gathering and comes at just the right time for an in-depth debate about the future of “Non-GMO” in the era of new genetic engineering (NGT) and possible new regulations governing them. We look forward to seeing you there!

We wish you an interesting read!

Your VLOG team