Without genetic engineering
Relevance and scope
Due to the lack of mandatory identification of genetically modified animal feed, uninformed consumers are frequently offered meat for sale that comes from animals that have been fed with genetically modified feed. However, such information should not be withheld from consumers.
The ZHG would also like to improve the handling of genetic engineering and make it more sustainable. Certification in accordance with VLOG (in Germany) and "produced without genetic engineering" (for Austria) is to be examined and addressed across all sectors wherever it is possible and makes sense.
"Without genetic engineering" - VLOG
The "Verband Lebensmittel ohne Gentechnik e. V." - or VLOG for short - consists of a wide range of participants, e.g. from the production, processing, distribution, consultation or individual sectors, as well as contributors from other interest groups. Together, they advocate GMO-free food and promote this by increasingly identifying products with the VLOG logo. In this way, they disclose that the corresponding products are free from genetically modified ingredients. In Germany, these products can be recognised according to the "ohne Gentechnik" (VLOG) seal.
VLOG uses two seals for this purpose, the better known of which is increasingly available to consumers in grocery shops and stands for the GMO-free nature of the product without exception. In addition, an upstream step - the feeding of the animals - can also take place without genetic engineering and the feed can thus earn a VLOG seal that is not visible to the consumer. This second "VLOG geprüft" seal is only visible to producers on the feed.
Measures
Medium term
In future, only those animal products that were originally fed without genetically modified feed will be traded.
Long term
This area requires another check across production area to identify exactly which products are already labelled with the VLOG logo for GMO-free products and which should be addressed in the future.