Supermarket Chains Around Europe Remove Genetically Engineered Foods/Ingredients
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From: genetics Subject: GE - news 17th March
Greenpeace welcomes major global steps to get out of genetically modified food
AMSTERDAM, March 17, 1999 - Greenpeace International today welcomed two
major steps towards a genetically modified (GM) free food supply at two
different ends of the world.
Monsanto, the world's most aggressive seller of genetically engineered
seeds yesterday announced that it had withdrawn applications for approval
of their herbicide resistant (Roundup Ready) soyabeans in Brazil. The step
comes after massive protests by environmental and consumers organisations
as well as scientists and lawmakers in Brazil. Brazil is the worlds second
biggest exporter of soyabeans. Soyabeans are used in 60 per cent of
processed supermarket food products including bread, pasta, yoghurt,
chocolate and ice-cream.
At the same time the UK retailer J. Sainsbury's announced that it will not
sell any genetically engineered products under it's own label. Sainsbury's
also revealed that it had formed a consortium of major European retailers,
including Marks & Spencer (UK), Carrefour (France), Superquinn (Ireland),
Migros (Switzerland), Delhaiz (Belgium) and Effelunga (Italy), who will
jointly source GM-free products. [Note: Reports state that Marks & Spencer
will remove all GM products from their shelves.]
"This is the beginning of the end of trying to forcefeed consumers unwanted
and unneeded genetically manipulated food", commented Greenpeace
International's campaigner Benedikt Haerlin. "We hope to see more
supermarket chains and food producers join the GM-free consortium in the
next few days." Haerlin added that other major food producers and
retailers, such as Unilever in Germany and Austria, and 90 percent of all
supermarkets in Austria and countless small producers have already declared
that they are GM free. "No supermarket or food producer can claim that it
was not possible to avoid GM ingredients in their products."