GM

A w:GMO is an artificially engineered living organism, whose genome has been modified. Modern biotechnological techniques allow to pick up one or several genes on one organism (bacteria, virus, animal, plant) to insert it in another organism. The technique used is different from traditional breeding, as it may create new organisms previously unknown in nature and as it allows crossing between species.

GMOs production and use are very controversial topics, and some consider it a major issue that consumers be ultimately the ones to choose whether they accept them or not.

A consumer may be

• a person using a GMO to produce a good (e.g. a farmer using GM corn seed)
• or a person consuming a good made from a GMO (e.g. a vegetarian eating a soya steak made from GM soya plant)

This right to decide is meaningfull only when

• consumers are provided enough information to make up their mind on the topic : e.g. what is a GMO, what are the potential or proved benefits, what are the potential or proved ecological, sociological or economical negative impacts of GMO production and use
• consumers are able to give a w:feedback to the producer of the GMO or to the user of the GMO producing the final good.
• consumers are able to have impact on the legal decisions as regards GMO experiments, production, use, traceability and labelling
• consumers are provided information about which products contains (or do not contain) GMO and which products were produced (or not produced) by GMOs
• consumers are given the opportunity to purchase the products they chose to consume, preferably at similar costs for the two channels

See also w:informed consent