Supermarkets continue to shun GM food16 July 2003
Supermarkets are continuing to shun GM food, a new survey by Friends of the Earth reveals. Supermarket bosses are due to meet Environment Secretary Margaret Beckett to discuss consumer attitudes to GM food.
A Government public consultation on GM crops ends on 18 July. Later this year the Government is expected to make a decision on whether or not to allow GM crops to be commercially grown in the UK.
Friends of the Earth's survey of twelve of the UK's top supermarkets and their own-brand food found:
All the supermarkets confirm their own brand products are GM-free. This includes GM derivatives - such as oil produced from GM crops. They all have in place 'Identity Preserved' systems of their own, or they expect this of their suppliers. They all set detection limits of at least one per cent. Sainsbury's, Marks & Spencer, the Co-op, Iceland, Waitrose and Safeway all operate to 0.1per cent.
Tesco, Waitrose, Asda, Co-op, M&S and Iceland say their fresh poultry is GM free (has been reared on a GM-free diet). Tesco and Marks & Spencer pledge that their meat is GM free. Whilst Tesco, Waitrose, Asda, Co-op, Marks & Spencer and Iceland all claim that their eggs are from laying hens fed on a GM-free diet. Other supermarkets are expected to follow suit.
All twelve supermarkets confirmed that they will extend GM-free policies to include GM wheat if it becomes commercially available.
"Supermarkets have banned GM ingredients and derivatives from their own-brand food because consumers don't want to eat GM," said Friends of the Earth's GM Campaigner, Clare Oxborrow. "And with tighter GM labelling rules on the way, pressure will surely grow on food manufacturers to do even more to weed out GM ingredients. Supermarket bosses should tell the Government that it must help them meet the demand for GM-free food by refusing to allow GM crops to be commercially grown in the UK."
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