WASHINGTON (Reuters Health) - The European Union is working toward setting down controversial new guidelines requiring the labeling of all foods containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs) shortly after the New Year, the EU's health and consumer protection commissioner said Tuesday.

Commissioner David Byrne said that the proposed new guidelines are based on legislation that Europe is considering for food containing GMOs. The rules would require companies to label all foods that contain more than 1% genetically modified ingredients, and they would also institute a strict tracking system to trace production methods and aid in potential product recalls.

Byrne is pushing the proposal as a way to boost European consumers' confidence in genetically modified foods. The continent has suffered several food-related scares in recent years, including possible dioxin contamination of Coca-Cola in Belgium and the sullying of the beef supply with bovine spongiform encephalopathy.

Several scares have hurt the biotech food industry in the US as well, including reports last year that bioengineered corn meant for animals had found its way into the human food supply. Still, US consumers remain generally less skittish about biotech crops than their European counterparts.

Passage of the guidelines would mark the first time since 1998 that GMOs have been allowed onto the European food market. Europe's process for bringing GMO-containing foods to market ground to a halt 3 years ago amid public concerns about the safety of the products.

But the rules are not guaranteed passage in Europe. Several member countries have yet to support their adoption, and Green Party politicians in countries such as France and Germany remain opposed to any GMO-containing foods coming to market there.

No scientific studies have linked genetically modified foods to human illnesses. But GMO foods "will not get off the ground unless the labeling rules are in place," Byrne told reporters at a Washington briefing.

Europe is also awaiting the establishment of a new food safety agency, which will perform risk assessments on foods but will have no regulatory authority.

Byrne is in the US trying to sell the proposals to government officials and food industry groups, most of whom strongly oppose the measures. American food producers worry that new labeling standards will stigmatize GMO-containing food and hurt sales in Europe.

"The US agrifood industry is unified in our opposition to these proposals," said Peter Cleary, a spokesman for the Grocery Manufacturers of America. He branded food tracking proposals as "unworkable," explaining that food manufacturers do not have the means to discern between genetically modified foods and traditional ingredients throughout the food production chain.

Cleary said that US food producers view the labeling proposals as "inconsistent with Europe's obligations as a member of the World Trade Organization." Companies are likely to push the Bush administration to take action against Europe within the WTO if the regulations pass, he said.

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