Appendix IV. Draft Amendment to the General Standard for the Labelling of Prepackaged Foods: Definitions (Draft Recommendations for the Labelling of Foods Obtained through Certain Techniques of Genetic Modification/Genetic Engineering)

(At Step 8 of the Procedure)

Section 2. Definition of Terms

For the purpose of the General Standard:

“Food and food ingredients obtained through certain techniques of genetic modification/genetic engineering” means food and food ingredients composed of or containing genetically modified/engineered organisms obtained through modern biotechnology, or food and food ingredients produced from, but not containing genetically modified/engineered organisms obtained through modern biotechnology.

“Organism” means any biological entity capable of replication, reproduction or of transferring genetic material.

“Genetically modified/engineered organism” means an organism in which the genetic material has been changed through modern biotechnology in a way that does not occur naturally by multiplication and/or natural recombination.

“Modern biotechnology” means the application of:

a. In vitro nucleic acid techniques[20], including recombinant deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and direct injection of nucleic acid into cells or organelles, or

b. Fusion of cells[21] beyond the taxonomic family,

that overcome natural physiological, reproductive or recombination barriers and that are not techniques used in traditional breeding and selection

[20] These include but are not limited to: recombinant DNA techniques that use vector systems and techniques involving the direct introduction into the organism of hereditary materials prepared outside the organism such as micro-injection, macro-injection, chemoporation, electroporation, micro-encapsulation and liposome fusion
[21] Fusion of cells (including protoplast fusion) or hybridization techniques that overcome natural physiological, reproductive, or recombination barriers, where the donor cells/protoplasts do not fall within the same taxonomic family