Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 on GM Food and Feed: Notification of existing products and tolerance of adventitious or technically unavoidable presence of GM material.

Until 18 April 2004, GM food was regulated as novel food, and food derived from sixteen GM events have been approved (essentially maize and soy derivatives, oilseed rape oil and cottonseed oil). There was no specific legislation covering GM feed, but eight GM events (four maize varieties, three rape varieties and one soy variety) had been approved under the EU environmental legislation, and these approvals included the use as or in feedingstuffs. These and other GM food and feed which were lawfully placed on the market in the Community prior to 18 April 2004 may continue to be placed on the market, used and processed provided that they are notified to the Commission before 18 October 2004.

Detailed rules concerning the preparation and presentation of notifications are laid down in Regulation (EC) No 641/2004.

It is advised to send notifications electronically, using the attached forms for the notification and the submission of samples. Existing GM food and feed notified to the Commission are entered in Community Register of GM food and feed.

Minute traces of yet unauthorized GM material may be present in conventional food and feed, as a result of adventitious or technically unavoidable presence during seed production, cultivation, harvest, transport, or processing. This presence is tolerated up to a maximum of 0,5 % for a limited number of events which have benefited from a favourable risk evaluation.