The national regulations regarding the cultivation, use and marking of genetically modified organisms (GMO) vary greatly worldwide.

Within the European Union, extensive legislation dictates the conditions under which genetically modified organisms (GMO) can be approved for research or commercial purposes. There are EU regulations in place governing the labelling of genetically modified (GM) products as well as foods and livestock feed derived from GMOs. The most important goal is to secure a high degree of safety and choice for consumers and farmers. In a comprehensive decision making process, the EU and its member states declared they will generally permit so-called green genetic engineering – the use of GMOs in agriculture and the food industry. However, each individual product is subject to authorisation: whoever wants to bring a genetically modified plant or any food or animal feed produced from genetically modified plants to market must comply with certain requirements. cbi:///cms/88355