Calls for a halt to GM food approvals
West Australian Premier, Alan Carpenter, has called for better labelling of foods that contain Genetically Modified (GM) ingredients and an immediate halt to the approval of all GM foods in Australia until more is known about the safety of eating them.
Mr Carpenter said Australia’s national food regulator, Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), should not approve any more foods for human consumption until it introduced independent scientific trials to determine the safety of GM foods. “I find it unbelievable and unacceptable that the national food regulator relies principally on the say-so of the GM companies when assessing GM foods as safe to eat,” he said. “WA consumers want and deserve to know what they are feeding their families and they expect foods containing GM are not only labelled as such, but there is monitoring and enforcement of the labelling.”
“This is not the case currently in Australia – no-one does any GM labelling checks, so foods are either unlabelled or not required to be labelled.
“GM ingredients are present in an extensive range of foods on supermarket shelves including corn chips, breakfast cereals, taco shells, bread, cakes, margarines, biscuits, soups, soy products and as oils.”
Agriculture and Food Minister Kim Chance said FSANZ was already approving GM crops that were never intended for human consumption – such as GM corn, which was bred for use in making ethanol – as safe for people to eat without having done independent tests. “GM labelling should apply if the food is an oil derived from a GM crop, a whole food, or if any ingredients derived from GM crops are present in the final product,” Mr Chance suggested. “There is also published evidence which highlights health concerns about GM foods, including allergies, damage to vital organs and links to cancer.
“Consumers are right to be suspicious about claims from GM companies that the foods are safe to eat.”
Mr Chance said he and Health Minister Jim McGinty would write letters to their Federal counterparts requesting their support to change the current standards.
“The WA Government notes that supermarket chains including Woolworths have recognised their customers’ concerns and have policies of not using GM ingredients in their house-brand products where possible, and Coles requires its house-brand products to be GM-free,” the Minister revealed.
WA currently has a moratorium on the commercial production of GM crops.
“There is a lack of independent information about the performance of GM canola in Australian growing conditions and evidence of strong rejection by consumers, both in Australia and in important overseas markets,” Mr Chance claimed. “Until these issues are resolved, the only responsible course by any government is to maintain a very cautious approach to the technology.”
The GM debate is igniting passion around Australia with many leading Australian chefs signing a charter last week opposing GM food. The charter calls for thorough labelling of all food products containing GM ingredients and opposes legislation in Victoria and NSW, which permits the production of GM canola in Australia for the first time.
Victorian and New South Wales farmers are allowed to grow GM canola but, under current laws, foods with GM canola will not be required to indicate on the label that the product contains GM ingredients.
News Media Release: June 2, 2008
Gene Ethics backs WA Government call on GM foods
Gene Ethics fully supports WA Premier Alan Carpenter’s call today for labels on all Genetic Manipulated (GM) foods and for all GM food approvals to stop while these unsafe foods are fully safety tested.
“We back Premier Carpenter’s call for labels on all GM foods and for Food Standards Australia NZ (FSANZ) to stop all approvals of GM foods until conclusive safety tests are done to prove they are safe to eat,” says Gene Ethics Director Bob Phelps.
“We join the Premier in calling on all Australian governments – through the Health Ministerial Council – to swiftly meet the public’s rights to safe food and to know a food is GM.
“All governments must back the WA call for basic changes to the present GM food standard.
“The GM giants must prove their GM products are safe before they reach the shelves, so FSANZ should stop all GM food approvals until real safety tests rule out allergies, damage to vital organs and links to cancer.
“As Premier Carpenter says it is ‘unbelievable and unacceptable’ that FSANZ relies mostly on GM company data to say GM foods are safe to eat.
“Governments are lagging far behind some supermarkets – Coles, Foodland and Woolworths – that have begun to meet customer concern with GM-free house-brands.
“Though 93% of Australian adults want all foods made using GM techniques to be labelled, most GM foods – refined soy, corn, canola and cottonseed oils, starches and sugars – are all exempt under the present GM food standard 1.5.2,” Mr Phelps says.
“The enforcement of GM labelling is key to its success but FSANZ even fails to monitor compliance with its present weak guidelines on GM labels and identity preservation.
“This is unfair to shoppers, and also fosters irrational and uninformed behaviour.
“Government and big business aggressively support free markets, but free markets only work where labels fully inform shoppers, so that everyone has real choice and can make rational decisions on what to eat.
“WA Food Minister Kim Chance concurs with our outrage that FSANZ also approves GM foods never intended or approved for human consumption anywhere else in the world – such as GM corn for making ethanol.
“All GM food approvals must now be reviewed by FSANZ!” Mr Phelps concludes.
More comment: Bob Phelps 1300 133 868 or 0449 769 066
i fully agree with Bob Phelps from Genethics on this issue. GM foods are a serious danger to our beautiful country , our health and our beautiful planet.
PLEASE BAN ALL GM CROPS PERMANENTLY.
Food labelling is a serious issue, the lax labelling means that consumers have no idea what they are buying, where it is from and what they will end up eating. GM foods have not been adequately tested over a long period of time and the affects on humans who consume these foods are unknown. There are other ways to deal with issues relating to food production, ways which protect & support the environment & encourage people to think about the way we live, the answer is NOT in GM foods.
Not only are GM foods approved without thorough testing, there appears to be no-one checking that non-approved GM foods aren’t entering Australia. Australia needs proper labelling of GM food and real enforcement of our food laws.
I agree with Premier Carpenter and Bob Phelps and the others against this GM regeme. If GM companies want to market their foods here in Australia, they must realise that it MUST be labelled, regardless of the % of GM food in the product. No labelling, No SELLING!
The Director of Adelade Institute of Health and Environment Research, Is currently conducting an Independent study on the safety of GM foods. This appears to be the first Independent study to be conducted on this topic.
The Victorian and N.S.W government need to take note and/or action when the results of this study are revealed. Alan Carpenter of W.A has extended the Moratorium as have other State governments, what are these 2 State governments trying to achieve or who are they trying to appease. A halt must be called for G.M food approval until any doubts or concerns are addressed.
America doesn’t label GM food. So GM additives brought in from OS then put into our food are here now, not labeled and we are eating them.
over 89% of worlds Soy is GM – try to buy something that doesn’t have soy added.
the gene transfers to our gut and continually produces a toxin.
Thanks monsanto for donating the additional gene we all have after eating unfermented soy.
Scientific tests on animals show that 3rd generation of eating this soy will not reproduce.
So why is it allowed in our food?
GM food will positively be the answer to how to feed the world in the long term. After all it positively has the ability to reduce the world population – if we let it.
Why is Australia growing GM food?