A A C C   2 0 0 0   A n n u a l   M e e t i n g

The European Commission published on the 10th January 2000 the new regulations 49/2000/EC and 50/2000/EC with regards to labelling of GMO. The regulation 49/2000/EC introduces the 1% threshold for ingredients, the regulation 50/2000/EC labelling requirements for additives and flavourings containing genetically modified DNA or proteins. The presentation will discuss the legal requirements to comply with the new regulations but will focus on current methods for GMO detection and sampling which are used to determine if a product will have to be labelled under the new regulations coming into force on 10th April 2000. State-of-the-art methods like real-time PCR have been evaluated for their precision and accuracy and compared with standard PCR and protein detection method like ELISA. The presentation will discuss the current state of knowledge on these techniques and link this to the importance of sample collection and preparation. Ways to identify the reasons for different results obtained from different laboratories using apparently the same machines will be highlighted. In addition, criteria for identifying reliable and experienced laboratories will be established.