GM food ban worries

where oil from GM crops is often supplied to customers who are working to lower prices, and bulk packs are suitably labelled. " It was considered unlikely that relevant information regarding food production using such oils is provided to the final consumer, as required in EC legislation. Despite the potential public backlash, ministers believe it may now be the right time to consider the introduction of GM foods as a way of meeting a UN target to rise global food production by 2050. Asked last month whether GM was the answer to his call for a new green revolution, Hilary Benn, the environment secretary, whose new food security strategy this autumn is expected to move closer to GM, praised 'science'. The report to the British government said that many stakeholders noted " it may be timely to inform consumers of the issues surrounding GM and non-GM supply chains so that they have a clear understanding of current science, the status of the non-GM market being reliant on only a few exporting countries and the steady increase in GM production. " Britain's major supermarkets have warned the government that they are struggling to maintain their decade-long ban on genetically modified food and have called for publicity on the increasing cost of avoiding GM food. As major world producers of maize and soya, such as the US and Brazil, switch to GM varieties, British supermarkets are now paying 10 to 20 per cent more for the dwindling supplies of conventional crops, according to a report by the Food Standards Agency and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. The situation is similar in other EU countries. Retailers are concerned that they may not be able to maintain their current non-GM sources of supply as producers increasingly adopt GM technologies around the world. The report said there " is some use of GM food ingredients in the UK, particularly in the catering sector The increasing cost of non-GM foods is worrying British supermarkets. Nigel Williams reports. GM food ban worries " With the continued increase in GM soya cultivation in the main exporting countries — Argentina is already about 94 per cent GM while Brazil is at least 65 per cent and rising — the UK feed and food sectors are worried that it will become impossible to maintain the current non-GM soya supply chain. " Supermarkets and manufacturers can sell food …