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Tuesday July 20 1999
Unknown, UKSainsbury says own-brand ingredients
GM-free
British supermarket chain J. Sainsbury Plc said yesterday it had
won the race between UK supermarkets to eliminate genetically modified
ingredients from its own-brand products.
Consumer fears about unknowingly eating "Frankenstein foods" have risen
dramatically in Britain this year, leading major chains to clearly indicate
the presence of GM ingredients until they are replaced by natural substitutes.
"GM has been one of the most important issues for our customers over the
past few months and we wanted to make a clear statement," Sainsbury group
Chief Executive Dino Adriano said.
Sainsbury said it had whittled down the number of products containing GM
soya protein - the main source of public concern - from 45 to zero since
January.
All its suppliers are now required to certify that soya and related
ingredients come from verified non-GM crops.
But Sainsbury said it would take longer to remove GM material from the raw
material of ingredients, such as animal feed.
Food retailers on the front line of the public debate are far ahead of the
government's GM policy and are not legally required to take the steps
Sainsbury announced.
Tesco has said it will remove GM ingredients from food products wherever
possible, frozen foods group Iceland has refused to stock GM foods, Marks &
Spencer has said it would stop selling GM foods.
The government says carefully supervised GM crop trials will determine
whether the modification of plants may lead to cheaper and tastier foods.
But environmental activists want faster and more decisive action. On Sunday
about 100 of them, dressed in white protective overalls and face masks,
attacked a farm in southern England which is taking part in one of the
government-backed trials.
They ripped up a 25 acre field of oilseed rape at the farm in Watlington in
Oxfordshire. Three protesters were arrested, police said.
Sainsbury's, Britain's second largest supermarket chain after Tesco, had
sales of 16.3 billion pounds ($25.41 billion) in the year to March 6 with a
3.8 percent rise in underlying profits to 756 million pounds.
But its share price slipped more than one percent on Monday as it launched
a price-cutting campaign estimated to cost 50 million pounds. |