The following is an edited excerpt.
Parmesan cheese and other beloved Italian food exports give the issue of genetically modified organisms (GMO) in Italy international breadth. Though GM crops are banned from Italian fields, much of the country’s livestock is fed with GM soy imported from Brazil and Argentina.
On May 21, the Italian Senate unanimously voted against permitting GM crops in the country. On May 31, GM crop developer Monsanto retreated from production in Europe due to lack of demand. Products in Italy must be labeled GMO if they are more than 0.9 percent GM—this does not apply, however, to products derived from animals fed GMOs.
Fabio Veronesi, president of the Italian Society of Agricultural Genetics (SIGA), wrote in an email, “To think of Italy as a country that is GMO-free is misleading. We do not cultivate [GM crops], but we use products derived from GM plants.”
Read the full post here: GMOs in Italian Artisan Foods: Traditions Impacted by Biotech?
