Archived press release

Monsanto canteen bans GM ingredients

22 December 1999

The canteen at Monsanto's UK HQ has banned GM ingredients from its food Friends of the Earth has learnt. The catering company which runs the canteen, Sutcliffe Catering, which is owned by Granada Food Services, has “taken the decision to remove, as far as is practicable, GM soya and maize from all food products served in our restaurant”. A policy statement to customers explains that Granada has taken the decision “to ensure that you,the customer, can feel confident in the food we serve.”

The past year has seen a dramatic public reaction to GM food and ingredients. As a result of public pressure and campaigning by FOE and others, food manufacturers, supermarkets and restaurants have been forced to remove GM ingredients. These include:

* MPs in the House of Commons are now being served food that avoids GM ingredients“in response to the general unease about such foods expressed by significant numbers of our customers” a statement from the House of Commons Refreshment Department confirms. Caterers at the Welsh and Scottish assemblies also have a policy of avoiding GM ingredients. And last week FOE revealed that the European Parliament has also banned GM food.

* Restaurant chains are also getting rid of GM food. A FOE survey in September showed that most of the UK's top chains, including MacDonalds, Domino Pizza and Wimpy have removed GM ingredients, with most getting rid of GM derivatives as well.

* Supermarkets have also been forced to respond. By the end of the year all the leading supermarkets will have removed GM ingredients from their own label food, and are phasing out GM derivatives.

* A FOE survey in May revealed that 24 of the top 30 food manufacturers operating in the UK said that they had either removed GM ingredients and derivatives, or were removing them.

Adrian Bebb, Food Campaigner at Friends of the Earth said:
“Monsanto won't be having a very happy Christmas this year. The public has made its concerns about GM ingredients very clear - now it appears that even Monsanto's own catering firm has no confidence in this new technology.”

“Throughout the year the campaign against GM food has had remarkable success with retailers, restaurants and manufacturers forced to remove GM ingredients from, the food they sell. This is a tremendous victory for consumers. What people want is real food, food that they can trust and food that hasn't been tampered with. However, companies must go further and ensure that all their ingredients and derivatives come from GM-free crops and that the meat and dairy products they sell are from animals not reared on GM animal feed.

Policy statements from Granada (Sutcliffe Catering) and the House of Commons are available from FOE.

If you're a journalist looking for press information please contact the Friends of the Earth media team on 020 7566 1649.

Published by Friends of the Earth Trust