Woolworths to clear its shelves of genetically ...
COMTEX Newswire
Donnerstag, 23. Dezember 1999 03:24:00
Johannesburg (Business Day, December 22, 1999) - Woolworths food
stores would remove genetically modified food from their shelves, the
company announced yesterday. Pick 'n Pay criticised the move and
accused Woolworths of "scare tactics" and misleading the public.
"One has to be either very brave or very irresponsible to make a
statement like that," said Pick 'n Pay MD Martin Rosen.
"How do you know what food is genetically modified? Just about
everything has been modified over the years. It is just impossible to
tell."
Woolworths did not say when its shelves would be free of genetically
modified food, but said that after a meeting with the SA Federation
Against Genetic Engineering, it intended removing the food from its
shelves.
"The situation with regard to (genetically modified) food in SA is
unsatisfactory. (It) is already on our shelves, but we have no
legislation that forces companies to label the products."
Genetically engineered food results when specific genes are
artificially removed or introduced into another organism to boost a
certain trait.
The technology has been used in the health industry for years in the
manufacture of medicines, but since it has been introduced in the food
industry, intense battles have raged over the pros and cons of the food
and the technology, especially in Europe.
Woolworths said it would assess the food for "harmful effects" in a
continuing monitoring programme, starting with primary ingredients.
"If no alternative ingredients can be found, Woolworths will clearly
label its products."
SA has no mandatory labelling laws yet. Government, under the auspices
of the health department, has called for proposals from the food
industry and consumer bodies on labelling policies.
A concern of the department is that too stringent labelling legislation
could push up the cost of food significantly.
Rosen says the job of identifying genetically modified food is huge.
"If you have one bean field with genetically modified plants and
another with (nongenetically modified) plants, what happens when a bee
pollinates the nongenetically modified bed of beans? Can you still
claim that it is (nongenetically modified) food?"
In SA, the only genetically modified crops grown are maize and cotton,
but genetically modified tomatoes, soya, potatoes and maize are
imported, mainly from the US. Soya is used extensively in processed
foods such as polonies and other types of meat.
A source from food company Escourt backed Rosen, saying it was
impossible to tell which food contained imported genetically modified
soya.
Rosen said Pick 'n Pay was not removing genetically modified food from
its shelves.
The company was working with manufacturers on a programme to educate
and inform the public about biotechnology, he said.
By Louise Cook
Copyright 1999 Business Day. Distributed via Africa News Online.
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