UK Consumers demand GM food label reforms
BBC News
Tuesday, March 2, 1999 Published at 14:51 GMT
Consumer groups say current labelling laws are inadequate
The Consumers' Association has called on the
government to improve the way genetically-modified food
is labelled.
A survey shows that many people
want all packaging to say whether
food has been genetically-modified in
any way.
Research for Which? magazine
conducted by the Consumers'
Association investigated 32 common foodstuffs, both
supermarket own label and well-known brands, which
were not labelled as containing any GM ingredients.
Eight of the samples contained soya and maize that
were guaranteed GM free but all of the other 24 could
contain GM products even though they are not required
to state this on the label.
The association wants to ensure that shoppers who do
not wish to consume GM foods are given an alternative
and the freedom and information to choose.
'In the dark'
Which? Editor Helen Parker said: "There are so many
loopholes and exemptions that, even if the current
labelling laws were fully enforced, consumers would still
be left in the dark."
The association launched its
campaign to put pressure on
Agriculture Minister Nick
Brown for more rigid labelling
rules by unveiling a billboard
opposite his Whitehall office
declaring: "Isn't it time
labelling was modified too?"
A European Union regulation,
introduced in September last
year, means that GM
ingredients only have to be
labelled if they contain
determinable levels of protein or DNA.
However, other soya-derived ingredients such as lecithin,
commonly used in the manufacture of chocolate bars
and cakes, do not have to be labelled along with other
GM ingredients which contain no protein or DNA.
Children's food
The research showed that the makers of eight of the
products, including Kellogg's Cornflakes and Heinz Rice
Pudding for children used GM-free sources of soya and
maize.
But the other 24 products remained under suspicion of
containing ingredients derived from GM sources.
A poll of 2,000 people carried out by the consumer group
showed that support for more stringent labelling laws
was overwhelming.
Some 94% of those questioned said they wanted to see
any ingredients which had been modified in any way
clearly labelled.
In addition, 92% said they wanted to see labelling
regulations widened to include all processed GM
derivatives, even though that could not be detected in the
final product on supermarket shelves.
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