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GM warning over supermarket food

16/11/2007

Consumers are "unwittingly" eating supermarket food sourced from animals fed genetically-modified (GM) animal feed, according to a report.

The Soil Association claims nearly all the milk, dairy products and pork sold in the UK's supermarkets are produced from animals reared on GM crops.

But, because retailers are not legally required to use labels to highlight food produced from GM-fed animals, shoppers are unaware of the fact, says the pro-organic organisation.

Its study claims around 60 per cent of the maize and 30 per cent of the soya fed to dairy cattle and pigs is genetically altered.

The report says while supermarkets have been trumpeting their non-GM food credentials, having abandoned the sale of own-label goods made directly with GM ingredients, they have yet to prohibit the use of GM animal feed in the production of their food.

Campaigners now want supermarkets "to be honest" with their customers and label foods that are sourced from animals fed on GM feed.

They say only organic goods guarantee that GM animal feed has not been used in production, with even certain ethical labels allowing such practices in bringing their foods to market.

Marks & Spencer is the only retailer which ensures all its non-organic milk and fresh meat is not produced using GM-feed, according to the report.

However the high street chain's frozen and processed foods are sourced from animals fed GM feed, the study adds.

It also stresses that while the poultry sector has widely-adopted non-GM feed policies, around a third of eggs are produced from GM-fed hens.

The Soil Association, which claims the "GM stealth invasion" of the UK food-chain is denying consumers the option to make informed choices about what they buy, insists all meat and dairy foods should be produced using non-GM animal feed.

Commenting on the failure of supermarkets to appropriately label goods produced with GM-feed, Soil Association director Patrick Holden said: "This amounts to deception on a large-scale.

"This is not just accidental contamination, hundreds of thousands of tonnes of GM grain are being used to produce our food each year."