The drive for "regulatory coherence" in the transatlantic trade talks risks pushing food and farming standards down in the U.S. and EU. Big food and biotech companies are pushing to eliminate EU restrictions on genetically modified (GM) foods and food additives, challenge food labelling laws which they think are barriers to trade, and undermine the EU’s use of the "precautionary principle" in setting food safety standards. The trade talks could also threaten local food schemes in the U.S. and EU that seek to direct public spending towards healthier, sustainably produced school meals. Friends of the Earth Europe and the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) reject any attempt to deregulate polluting industries, harmonize safety or product standards downwards, or limit future legislation at the national, state or local level to rebuild food and farming systems.

Read EU-US trade deal: A bumper crop for "big food"?