By Debbie Jamieson
A large number of common food products sold in supermarkets contain genetically engineered (GE) ingredients the consumer does not know about, food labelling critics say.
Food products containing GE protein and DNA must be labelled under Food Standards Authority Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) rules.

But Steve Abel, the researcher for the latest edition of the Greenpeace GE-Free Food Guide, says most GE products slip through various labelling loopholes.

About 30 strains of ingredients, such as corn, soybeans, canola oil and cottonseed oil, known to be genetically engineered but considered safe, were exempt from labelling, he said.

Similarly, food products that were highly processed, to the point that GE protein and DNA could not be detected, also escaped the labelling rules.

"We think the laws are weak. They're not informative enough for people," Abel said.

"They're based on an idea that there's no solid proof as far as the food-safety authority is concerned that GE is harmful.

"Therefore, our food safety organisation does not inform the public, who don't want to consume GE products."

Greenpeace had only been able to identify a tiny number of imported products that carried GE labelling as required by law, Abel said.

They were: Stagg Chilli Chunky Beef and Stagg Vegetable Garden Four-Bean Chilli from the United States and ProNutro, a maize-based cereal imported from South Africa.

Others, including an imported children's sweet and an imported energy bar, were also being assessed for this year's edition of the guide.

FSANZ New Zealand acting general manager Leigh Henderson said the rules, which came into place in 2002, ensured that if a food was not safe to eat it would not be approved.

Requiring every item that included highly processed GE products to be labelled was very difficult, she said.

"And it doesn't actually tell consumers anything more because the product is identical to others."

In Europe, food producers were required to trace ingredients and that imposed a huge cost on customers, she said.

"We have one of the most rigorous processes for the regulation of biotechnology products in the world," she said.

Green Party safe food spokeswoman Sue Kedgley attempted to introduce a bill changing the labelling rules last year but it was lost when both Labour and National opposed it.

"As far as I'm concerned it's an absolutely basic consumers' right to know what's in the food they eat," Kedgley said..

Abel said many food companies wanting to avoid labelling requirements had removed some products and ingredients from their range and the majority of companies now ranked in the highest category under the Greenpeace GE Free Food Guide.

Nestle, Cadbury, Stagg and ProNutro were in the red category - those which used GE products or had inadequate safeguards in place to guard against inadvertent GE exposure in food production.

Ernest Adams and Bluebird were in the orange or second tier of companies, which were in the process of removing GE ingredients from their food lines.

Pams, Whittakers chocolate, Sanitarium and Heinz Watties were green companies, which did not use GE at any stage in the production of their food, Abel said.


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