ILLEGAL GEN TECH FOOD ENTERS EU AND ENDS UP IN FOOD

Over the last weeks Greenpeace has taken samples from corn loads in the harbour of Rotterdam, to check if the corn pellets and corn flour aboard has been genetically manipulated. It turned out that the flour contained 1,9% of genetically manipulated corn, and the pellets were even 100% manipulated.

Europeans want to have gen tech free food products. European life stock does not have a choice. They eat a lot of gen tech food, mostly corn from the US, Brazil and Argentina. The Dutch play a key role. Most of the feed enters the EU via the harbour of Rotterdam. Some varieties of genetically manipulated cattle food are allowed. Others are illegal since they are still in a checking procedure.

Since 2004 there were several gen tech scandals in the EU. In January 2006 illegal gen tech rice was discovered the in the US. Since this was only reported in August, contaminated batches were found all over the EU.  Modified elements even turned up in Dutch rice. The last case was gen tech rice imported from China by a Dutch company. Some of the rice ended up in German Mie (noodles).

According to Greenpeace the shipments of gen tech food are very badly checked. They absolutely do not trust the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (VWA). A spokesman of the VWA indicates that they do their best, but that the budget for the research after gen tech imports was recently cut in half. Greenpeace is very worried. The last gen tech news: illegal gen tech feed found at Dutch farms. more features

May 15, 2007