Top Chefs Say Australians Have Right To Know If They Are Eating Gm Food

Top Chefs say Australians Have Right to Know if They are Eating GM Food

Sydney, Tuesday, August 19, 2008: Top Sydney chefs support today's launch by nutritionist Dr Rosemary Stanton, and chefs Tobie Puttock and Dur- Dara with Greenpeace of a national petition, GM Food: Our Right to Know. The petition calls on Federal Health Minister, Nicola Roxon, for labelling and rigorous safety testing of all food derived from genetically modified (GM) crops.

Oils and other highly processed foods are currently not labelled for GM ingredients, nor is produce from animals fed with GM feed. Canola is used extensively in processed foods, as cooking oil and in animal feed. Australia's first GM food crop, GM canola, will be harvested in NSW and Victoria later this year.

Dr Rosemary Stanton, author of more than 20 books on nutrition said, "Processing might remove the DNA from oilseeds, but children allergic to peanuts still have adverse effects from consuming peanut oil. We have no idea about the long-term health impacts of GM food because appropriate tests have generally not been done and the products have not been labelled. The lack of labelling concerns me."

Jared Ingersoll, of Danks Street Depot, said: "The decision to invest in the production of GM food crops worries me greatly as a chef and as a parent. I understand the need for advancements and the use of technology in agriculture, as our farmers are faced with many challenges in feeding us as well as providing a sustainable income for their families. I do, however, have grave concerns for the damage that can be caused through the use of untested and poorly regulated foods entering our food chain."

More than 150 Australian chefs have endorsed a GM-free Chefs charter, which calls for labelling of all foods containing GM ingredients. Signatories include Tetsuya Wakuda, Serge Dansereau, Bill Granger, Kylie Kwong, Margaret Fulton, Neil Perry, Holly Davis and Stephanie Alexander - visit www.greenpeace.org.au for endorsers of the GM-free Chefs Charter.

The new petition asks for labelling of all GM food and is supported by the Public Health Association of Australia, Mothers Are Demystifying GE (MAdGE), Gene Ethics, Conservation Councils across Australia, Network of Concerned Farmers, Organic Traders & Consumers Network, Organic Federation, Biological Farmers Assoc, and others.

Consumers can sign the petition at www.truefood.org.au/OurRightToKnow

Contacts:
Greenpeace media officer, Carolin Wenzel - (02) 9263 0358 0417 668 957

SOURCE: Greenpeace