An Activist’s Handbook On Genetically Modified Organisms and the WTO

The document argues that mandatory GMO labeling is consistent with WTO rules, specifically the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), and provides a framework for activists to challenge the 'substantial equivalence' test used by GMO exporters.

• The authors argue that the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), rather than the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS), should govern GMO labeling because labeling is often motivated by non-food-safety factors such as the consumer's right to know.
• GMO labeling is presented as consistent with the TBT non-discrimination obligation because GMO and non-GMO products are not 'like products' due to differences in physical characteristics, consumer tastes, and unproven long-term safety.
• The handbook asserts that compulsory GMO labeling is not 'more trade-restrictive than necessary' under the TBT Agreement, as it is an effective way to protect legitimate objectives like public awareness and the consumer's right to know.
• The 'substantial equivalence' test, which compares only selected characteristics of GMO and non-GMO foods, is identified as a tool used by exporting countries to argue that the products are 'like' and therefore labeling is discriminatory.
• The adoption of a 'substantial equivalence' test by the Codex Alimentarius Commission could threaten the WTO-consistency of national GMO labeling laws by providing a benchmark that a WTO panel might use to classify GMO and non-GMO products as 'like products'.
• The European Union's compulsory GMO labeling scheme requires labels for food that differs in composition or nutritional value, has health implications from allergens, creates ethical considerations, or contains a GMO.

APA

Stilwell, M., & Van Dyke, B. (1999). An Activist’s Handbook On Genetically Modified Organisms and the WTO. Center for International Environmental Law. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/GMOHandbookSecondEdition.pdf

Chicago

Stilwell, Matthew, and Brennan Van Dyke. An Activist’s Handbook On Genetically Modified Organisms and the WTO. Center for International Environmental Law, 1999. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/GMOHandbookSecondEdition.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Stilwell |first1=Matthew |last2=Van Dyke |first2=Brennan |title=An Activist’s Handbook On Genetically Modified Organisms and the WTO |publisher=Center for International Environmental Law |date=July 1999 |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/GMOHandbookSecondEdition.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stilwell1999activists, author = {Stilwell, Matthew and Van Dyke, Brennan}, title = {{An Activist’s Handbook On Genetically Modified Organisms and the WTO}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {1999}, month = jul, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/GMOHandbookSecondEdition.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }