Russian officials have reportedly said the country is to introduce tighter labelling controls for genetically modified foods.
Under the new rule, which will come into effect this week, foods containing more than 0.9% GM material will have to be labelled as such, compared to a previous threshold of 5%, reported Agence France Presse.
According to Natalya Olefirenko, of the Russian arm of environmental lobby group Greenpeace, the labelling rules are ineffective.
“The methods being adopted by Russia to identify the presence of GMOs are old and not effective,” Olefirenko was quoted by AFP as saying.
“The definition of GMO levels vary and each enterprise can interpret the new regulations as it sees fit,” she added.
Greenpeace said the rules do not apply to animal feed or to foods imported from the US into Russia.
