Russian Lawmakers Seek Criminal Liability for Failure to Label GMO Products

Russian lawmakers have drafted a bill making it a criminal offense subject to imprisonment of up to two years for withholding information on genetically modified organisms (GMO) in products, local media reported Tuesday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — A law requiring manufacturers to label products whose GMO content is higher than 0.9 percent has been in effect since 2007. On December 31, 2014, President Vladimir Putin signed a federal bill imposing fines up to $6,000 for violating the GMO labeling rule.

GMO

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One of the draft bill's authors, Liberal Democratic Party's Kirill Cherkasov, told the Izvestia daily that proposed changes need to be adopted until scientifically substantiated expert opinion on GMOs in Russia dispels allegations of possible health risks they pose to the public.

The bill is awaiting Russian Government and Supreme Court approval.

What’s Behind the GMO Label?

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