Archived press release

Foe stands by GM tortilla study

20 December 2000

Friends of the Earth said that today's announcement by the Food Standards Agency following an 'investigation' into the presence of unauthorised GM ingredients in tortilla chips was“misleading”. The investigation follows a survey by FOE, published in November, which found low levels of illegal GM ingredients in some supermarket-purchased products. Although today's FSA announcement gives the impression that FOE's results are inaccurate it does nothing to contradict them.

Friends of the Earth also questioned the approach of the Food Standards Agency in dealing with FOE's concerns over the presence of the illegal GM material. The FSA has endorsed the results of industry-funded testing to challenge the results of analysis carried out for Friends of the Earth.

The FSA-backed analysis didn't find unauthorised GM ingredients, and says that detection levels below 0.1 % are “unreliable.”

FOE's testing was carried out by GENE-SCAN GmbH in Germany - one of Europe's top laboratories. It tested over 30 samples of processed food. Most didn't contain illegal GM ingredients. Those that did - at levels below 0.1% - were re-tested a number of times to confirm the results. GENE-SCAN GmbH today told FOE that it disputes that their methods are“unreliable” and that it is possible to test the presence of low levels of GM ingredients in these products.

Pete Riley, Senior Food Campaigner at Friends of the Earth said:
“The FSA's conclusions are misleading. Whilst it gives the impression that FOE's survey was inaccurate, it does not actually contradict it. The FSA says that the levels detected in the FOE survey are too low to be reliable. This is disputed by GENE-SCAN GmbH- the laboratory that carried out the tests.

FOE's samples were checked several times to confirm the presence of unapproved GM material. Just because tests on samples provided by industry and paid for by industry didn't find unauthorised GM material, it doesn't mean there wasn't any present in the tortilla chips in FOE's tests - albeit at very low levels.

This case provides an important reflection on the role of a supposedly independent public body. How can the FSA regard an investigation paid for by industry as independent? How does it expect this kind of behaviour to gain public confidence? If the FSA wants to be seen as independent it should carry out its own testing.”

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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust