The use of GM animal feed is increasing in Australia. As people reject GM food crops, animal feed provides a less direct route for biotech companies to push GM into our food supply. So what does this mean for consumers? While Greenpeace only publishes our True Food shopping guide once a year, negotiations with food companies continue pretty much all year round. This is particularly the case with the big supermarkets and food manufacturers, who have significant influence on market signals.
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You can support this by emailing Coles and asking if they use GM stockfeed.
coles.customer.care@coles.com.au
It's really important here that people take a few short minutes to email Coles. Consumers do have a huge say in swaying corporations in the right direction - it's important to have your say before the wrong decisions sneak in. Corporations are changing if they believe they will lose customers for not committing to social and environmental change - that simply means as many consumer's as possible speaking up as one clear voice against GM in any part of our food chain. Every email counts :)
ReplyDeleteI got an email back from Coles within a few days, not answering my questions though, a mere standard reply:
ReplyDeleteGood Afternoon
Thank you for contacting us, regarding Genetically Modified Foods. Coles food products are made from non -GM ingredients and additives and for the past two years, we have achieved a Green Rating from the Green Peace True Food Guide. More information about this guide can be found at the below Green Peace link http://www.truefood.org.au/truefoodguide/
Coles has a strong preference for non-GM based animal feeds, with beef, lamb and dairy cows, predominately pasture fed. The remainder of our suppliers at a minimum, have assured us that they actively seek to source non-GM ingredients where possible.
All our Coles brand food products must comply with our GM food policy including the GM requirements specified in standard 1.5.2 of the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code (the Code). These requirements, include labelling integrity and legibility issues and you can find more information on 'the Code' in the Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) website, www.foodstandards.gov.au
We also require that our Housebrand product suppliers conduct their own rigorous measures that includes, amongst other aspects, effective documentation, prevention of cross contamination and a verification testing program. Please note that our control is limited by the history of ingredients and products proceeding and beyond our supplier and store levels. We cannot absolutely, at all times, guarantee that any unintentional cross contamination may have occurred.
However, we can offer some additional confidence, as Coles also conducts GM testing of our Housebrand foods, as part of our routine Housebrand food-testing program and to-date no Genetically Modified Organisms have been detected.
We do hope this information has helped to alleviate your concerns and thank you for taking the time to contact us.
Kind Regards,
Katie Bryce
Customer Care
The Australian Government has licenses in place, imposed to prevent the release of live and viable GMOs into the environment.
ReplyDeleteNow canola has escaped what is the government doing about revoking thier license or how is the gov. controlling this weed out break?
What strategies are put in place to stop further contamination?
Is Aust. Gov so complacent about this contamination of our food that they will allow further contamination.
My right to eat organic food has been comprimised and our Governement is allowing it to happen.