Now Big Guns say No to GM
Now Big Guns say No to GM
TESCO and the worlds largest food manufacturer Unilever have banned the use of genetically modified ingredients in their products.
Unilever, which owns Birds Eye-Walls, plans to remove GM ingredients because of public concern over biotechnology.
A statement from Tesco – Britains biggest supermarket chain – said its decision had been taken after a customer survey revealed one in four shoppers wanted GM products removed from the shelves.
John Longworth, Tescos trading law and technical director, said: "Our customers say that current GM products offer no new benefits, so its not surprising that some want them removed and the great majority want choice.
"We will remove GM ingredients where we can and label where we cant. In the short and the medium term I expect the number of products containing GM ingredients to decline steadily, quite possibly to zero."
Tesco, joins Safeway, Sainsbury, Iceland, Marks and Spencer and Waitrose, in seeking GM-free products and it will work with environmental campaigners Greenpeace in a task force to find reliable sources of GM-free ingredients.
The announcement comes in a week when Jack Cunningham, chairman of the Cabinet committee on biotechnology, told the environmental audit select committee that "media hysteria" had skewed public debate to date.
"Some aspects of the public debate have been ill-informed, often fuelled by a barrage of media hysteria," he said.