March 25, 1997
4.40 p.m. EST (2140 GMT)
BERN, Switzerland (AP) -- Amid confusion in the chocolate industry and concern among consumers, the Swiss government Tuesday approved the immediate import of genetically altered soybeans.
The announcement came just days after some 500 tons of Switzerland's well-known Toblerone chocolate bars were recalled from Swiss stores for containing traces of genetically manipulated soybeans.
"What we lived through in the last four days in Switzerland was absurd,'' said Dario Kuster, director of Chocosuisse, the organization grouping Swiss chocolate producers. The organization had warned that if Switzerland maintained its ban on genetically modified soybeans, chocolate manufacturers would be forced to move elsewhere.
Following the example of the 15-nation European Union, the government initially gave the go-ahead last December to imports of genetically manipulated soybeans produced by Monsanto Co., the St. Louis-based chemical giant. It was forced to put the decision on hold in January because of a legal challenge from Greenpeace, the Worldwide Fund for Nature and some Swiss consumer groups.
In its decision Tuesday, the Interior Ministry said the organizations had no legal right to halt the government approval and the soybeans could be imported. The environmental groups said they would appeal the decision.
Even though genetically altered produce is legal in most of the world, some environmental and consumer groups worry that the food products could reduce the effectiveness of antibiotic medicines.
In a bid to ease the fears, the government has said any genetically modified soybeans must be labeled. They are used in food products ranging from chocolate to sauces to baby food.
Last Friday, Kraft-Jakobs-Suchard was forced to recall Toblerone bars made at its Bern factory after random checks found that an ingredient, lecithin, contained genetically altered soybeans. The Swiss company said it had imported the lecithin from Germany in the belief it was free of bioengineered soybeans.