No GMOs in my porridge,demands prisoner Ben

27 August 1998

No GMOs in my porridge,
demands prisoner Ben

A PRISONER is on hunger strike until the prison authorities promise there will be no genetically-modified (GM) ingredients in his food.

Inmate Ben Thompson is a vegan – he eats no meat or dairy products – and claims to be worried about possible risks from eating genetically engineered food. But when he asked for a guaranteed GM-free diet, the prison doctor told him his concerns were “nonsense”.

Now, he has stopped eating completely.

Mr Thompson is serving a three-month sentence at HM Prison Bullingdon, Oxfordshire, in connection with protests at a farm near Witney where cats are bred for laboratory use.

Last year, a prisoner at HM Prison Risley was allowed a GM-free diet after a short hunger strike. Kitchen staff allowed her to examine their stores to pick out food she would and would not eat.