traceability and labelling of genetically modified organisms and food and feed the united states specified that the ec traceability requirement was to apply to all biotech food and feed products at all stages of placing the product on the market. the stated objective was to facilitate control of labelling claims environmental monitoring and control of the product. food processors would be obliged to maintain specific information at each stage of placing the product on the market including details as to whether the product contained or was produced from biotech products. as a general rule if a product contained ingredients consisting of biotech products or produced from biotech events these must be identified. this included products made from but not containing biotech products such as soybean oil. the united states believed that this proposal would be expensive to implement but would not be enforceable nor would it achieve its stated objectives. the united states was further concerned that the measure was not targeted at health risks and applied to products already approved for use within the european communities. traceback systems for food safety had been effectively used to recall food in the united states in response to health problems based on batch and lot numbers on packages. however the proposed traceability system would be applied across-the-board to products whose safety had already been assessed. before adopting the measure the united states urged the european commission to assess the feasibility of applying the measure reliably and accurately consider less trade restrictive means to achieve the objectives and evaluate the regulatory impact of the proposal. australia indicated that it had submitted detailed written comments that questioned the scientific basis for the ec measures the international standards to be used and the nature of the risk assessment underpinning the ec measures. australia also questioned whether a less trade-restrictive measure could be used and why the traceability system for gm foods differed substantially from that for other foods. argentina shared the concerns raised by the united states and australia. norway indicated doubts as to whether the sps agreement was relevant to the issue of gmos and added that norway strongly believed that labelling and traceability were not contrary to wto obligations. the ec regulations took account of the codex the cartagena protocol and the oecd guidelines. according to the codex guidelines food labelling should be used to avoid misleading or confusing the consumer with regard to the true nature of a food. consumers distrust in food products would be greater if labelling and traceability were not required. norway believed that the ec measure addressed a legitimate objective that was not excessive in relation to its purpose. cyprus stated his countrys support of the ec position regarding information to consumers. the european communities stated that all comments would be considered and communicated to the appropriate bodies. current labelling requirements in the european communities required information on ingredients included in food products all that was added in terms of labelling was to ensure the inclusion of gm products within the general requirements. there were four objectives of traceability 1 to recall products in case of an unforeseen problem 2 to monitor potential risks for the environment 3 to control the accuracy of information provided on the label and 4 to inform consumers about what they ate and to avoid deceptive practices. the ec commission considered that these four objectives were primarily related to the tbt agreement and had notified this proposal to the sps agreement only for transparency. canada observed that one of the stated objectives of the proposed regulation was to provide a high level of protection of human health. canada accepted that consumers had the right to know many things but found troublesome that these regulations focussed on products