90 percent want GM labelling

by admin
Sustainable Settlement and Agriculture0
Michelle Sheather, Greenpeace genetic engineering campaigner said “it is very clear that Australians want to avoid GM food and want it clearly labelled. However, glaring loopholes in our current labelling laws do not leave shoppers with a choice”
Current laws exempt oils and products from animals fed GM feed from being labelled. GM canola is now being grown in Victoria and New South Wales for the first time in Australia and will slip into the food chain unlabelled through canola oil which is used in a wide range of products and as animal feed.
Michael Moore, CEO of Public Health Association of Australia said “It is really difficult to understand why there has been resistance to labelling of all genetically modified food.  It is appropriate for individuals to be able to make their own decisions about what they wish to consume. This is why labelling is a key element of any sensible policy on such foods”
Michelle added “NSW and Victoria are not using adequate procedures to segregate the GE canola from the conventional crop. This leaves food and feed companies as much in the dark as consumers”.
Don Lazzaro, CEO of Pure Harvest, one of Australia’s largest manufacturers and distributors of natural and organic food said “In response to consumer demand, labelling laws in Europe now require even highly processed GM ingredients like canola oil, and animal feed to be labelled. This shows that better labelling is practical and cost effective and most importantly, it gives consumers the information they need to make an informed choice.”
Health experts and concerned groups have joined Greenpeace in launching a national petition demanding the comprehensive labelling and stringent safety testing of GM food.
 
The full Newspoll survey and summary can be found at:
http://www.greenpeace.org/australia/resources/reports/GE/rpt-gmpoll-190908
The petition: GM food: Our right to know” can be viewed at: http://www.truefood.org.au/OurRightToKnow/
So far 20 organisations including the Public Health Association of Australia, the Australian Conservation Foundation, the Wilderness Society and the State Conservation Councils have endorsed the petition.