The European Union has overwhelmingly backed a bill that would allow member states to ban genetically modified crops. The bill was designed to give member states a “solid legal basis” for GM crop bans, given the litigious nature of the food industry. In addition to allowing for all-out bans, the bill mandates that member countries must prevent GM crop contamination of organic food.

Can this same legislative environment be copied over here? Unlikely. The food industry, as shown so well in Fast Food Nation and various other books and documentary films, is deeply in the pockets of government both in the US and Canada. What will be interesting to see is how the bill sets up a legal precedent for GM crop bans in Europe, and if those inevitable legal cases can be fought successfully and won in the European courts.

Tags: ban gm crops, eu gm foods, european union ban gm foods

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