Get rid of GM animal feed
12 June 2008

Are our supermarkets really GM free?

Most people think their supermarket is GM free. After all, they've all banned GM ingredients from their foods following customer pressure.

What many people don't realise is that most animal products sold in Britain - like meat, cheese and milk - come from animals fed a GM diet.

These products don't even have to be labelled - even though polls show that 87 per cent of the public want them to be.

What have supermarkets done so far?

Supermarkets have taken some steps to phase out GM animal feed. But their policies are varied and it can be difficult for consumers to get accurate information from them.

Friends of the Earth carried out a survey of supermarket policies on GM animal feed. See our table (PDF† format - 176K) for the full results, a shorter version of which is below.

Supermarket ratings

Marks & Spencer - Top of the class
They provide non-GM fed fresh milk, meat, poultry, eggs and fish.

Sainsbury's, Co-op, Waitrose - Room for improvement
They've taken some positive steps, but could still do more.

Tesco, Morrisons, Asda, Iceland, Somerfield, Budgens - Bottom of the pile
They provide the least non-GM fed options (mainly eggs, poultry and farmed fish).

Unless food companies ask for non-GM animal feed, producers will stop making it. And this will lead to a shortage of non-GM ingredients for our food.

Ask the worst of the supermarkets to take action now, before it's too late: