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ARC Fund has been awarded a project, entitled Empowering Bulgarian Civil Society on GMOs and Consumer Protection, under the EU PHARE Civil Society Development Program 2002 (PHARE Project BG 0204.02) at the Central Finance and Contracts Unit (CFCU), the Ministry of Finance. The project has a national coverage and duration of 12 months from December 01, 2004 through to November 30, 2005. It will be implemented in partnership with the Bulgarian Association of Food and Drink Industry, with the support of the Federation of Consumers in Bulgaria and AgroBioInstitute.
The information and awareness level on food safety and consumer protection, in particular concerning genetically modified organisms (GMOs) is quite low in Bulgaria.
The aim of the initiative is therefore to empower consumers through information and education on genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The target groups include Bulgarian consumers of food and drinks, consumer protection organisations, producer and trader organisations, research institutes, public authorities and the media. To achieve the objectives set, a series of targeted actions has been designed such as creation of an informative website and a virtual forum about GMOs; gathering, processing and dissemination of information material, which will be elaborated by an expert panel and used at a series of events (capacity building workshops, round table debates, final conference) to be organised. The project will be carried out and disseminated on a national level using leaflets, the internet and other media (radio, newspapers).
For additional information:
Ms. Daniela Tchonkova, e-mail daniela.tchonkvoa@online.bg
Mr. Angel Milev, e-mail angel.milev@online.bg
First work meeting of the expert panel on GMOs and Biofoods, January 25, 2005
Capacity building workshop followed by round-table discussion on Genetically Modified (GM) Food, Organic Food and Consumer Concerns held by ARC Fund on May 12, 2005 in Sofia
A series of round-table discussions on Genetically Modified Food, Organic Food and Agricultural Practices and Regulatory Frameworks is underway in the period May 17-20, 2005, throughout the country
National Conference under the “Empowering Bulgarian Civil Society on GMOs and Consumer Protection” project to be organized on November 17, 2005
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