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Archived press release

 


Supermarket Shoppers Say No To Frankenstein Food. Pressure builds on stores to go GM-free

20 October 1998

The survey reveals that most customers from all the leading supermarkets are opposed to the stocking of food containing GM ingredients. Objections to GM ingredients for customers of each chain were:
Marks & Spencers:65 %        Somerfield: 63 %        Safeway:     61%
Sainsbury's:     60%        Tesco:     60 %         Asda:     56%    
Co-op:         56 %        Morrison's:    54 %        Kwiksave :    53 %

Pete Riley, Food Campaigner at Friends of the Earth said:
“The message is coming across loud and clear: the public do not want genetically modified food or crops in this country. Supermarkets claim to listen to their customers, well their customers have now spoken. It is not enough to simply label products containing GM ingredients. They should banish these Frankenstein foods from their shelves as soon as possible.


“The Government must also take note of this survey. The public hasn't swallowed the propaganda of the huge biotech companies and they don't want to swallow their GM foods either. The Government must respond to public concern by calling a five year moratorium on GM food and crops.”

In September, EU regulations came into force which will force manufacturers to label products that contain GM ingredients. However, Soya lecithin, and oil are exempt from the regulations because they do not contain genetically engineered protein or DNA. This means that the majority of products containing GM ingredients will not be labelled.

Earlier this year, frozen-food retailer, Iceland, [2] reacted to concerns about genetically modified crops and food by announcing a ban on GM ingredients in all its own brand products. And last week ASDA announced that all its new food lines would be GM free and urged its suppliers to seek out non-GM ingredients for existing lines. Tesco announced last week that they would label all products that contain GM ingredients - including lecithin and oil. Sainsbury's have already removed genetically engineered soya and maize protein and flour from all but 40 of their own brand products, but have so far failed to replace soya derived ingredients which are used in hundreds of products, from margarine to chocolate and ice cream. Earlier in the year Sainsbury's responded to customer demand by greatly increasing the number of organic foods they stock [3].

FOE are pressing all retailers and manufacturers to go completely GM free.

ENDS

Notes
1. The FOE poll was carried out by NOP on 2nd-4th/ 6th-7th October 1998 by telephone. Respondents were asked which supermarket they shopped at and “Genetically modified food comes from crops modified to be resistant to insects and weedkillers and to help food processing. Do you want your supermarket to sell genetically modified food or not?”.

2. Iceland achieved GM-free status in May 1998. It took the company 18 months to source GM-free soya products from Canada and Brazil after the US industry failed to respond to consumer demand and separate GM and non-GM crops.

3. Early in 1998 Sainsbury's ran a customer ballot asking what they would like to see on their shelves. Eight out of the top ten answers were for organic products. The European regulation on organic certification excludes genetically engineered products and ingredients.


PHOTO OPPORTUNTY
12 Noon on Monday October 19th outside Sainsbury's, Nine Elms, 62 Wandsworth Road,London SW8 2LF (nearest tube Vauxhall: 5 mins).
A Frankenstein-style, genetically modified, Gene-Beast will be released into the environment outside the Nine Elms branch of Sainsbury's. Campaigners will carry placards calling on supermarkets to listen to their customers and ban GM ingredients in the food they sell.
NOTE: Photos and pictures cannot be used until 00:01 hrs on Tuesday 20 October 1998



For further information please contact the Friends of the Earth media team on 020 7566 1649.

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