Takeaway chain among number of big names using GM foods
 

1. Now "GM-free" Domino's is selling Frankenfood Pizzas: Takeaway chain among number of big names using modified foods
2. GM ingredients in Domino's and Waitrose
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1. Now "GM-free" Domino's is selling Frankenfood Pizzas: Takeaway chain among number of big names using modified foods

By Sean Poulter
Daily Mail, 21 Mar 2015
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3005088/Now-GM-free-Domino-s-selling-Frankenfood-Pizzas-Takeaway-chain-number-big-names-using-modified-foods.html

* "Thin and crispy" pizza bases made using GM soya bean oil and maize flour since February
* Waitrose selling imported US confectionery containing GM sugar beet and soya derivative
* Marks & Spencer has been stocking American sauces and cookies that contain GM soya and corn
* The double-dealing has been identified by the campaign group GM Freeze

Fast food giant Domino’s is selling 'Frankenfood" pizzas to customers while claiming to be "GM-free" on its website.

It has emerged that their "thin and crispy" pizza bases have been made using genetically modified soya bean oil and maize flour since February.

Waitrose has also been selling imported American confectionery which contains GM sugar beet and a soya derivative and Marks & Spencer has been stocking American sauces and cookies containing GM soya and corn – even though the firm has previously boasted about not using GM ingredients.

The double-dealing has been identified by GM Freeze, which is campaigning to raise awareness about how GM foods are creeping into the national diet without the knowledge and approval of consumers.

The group’s director, Liz O’Neill, is now demanding an investigation to see if Domino’s has broken labelling laws – as firms using GM ingredients are required to label their use.

She said, "Domino’s website currently contradicts itself. If they have introduced GM ingredients to their pizza crusts then customers should be told much more clearly.

"People in the UK have demonstrated time and again that they don’t want to eat GM food and the FSA’s public attitudes survey recently showed concern about GM at an all-time high.

"Whether people are motivated by concern for declining wildlife and flourishing superweeds, for the wider ethical issues around GM farming or just their own personal choice, we all have the right to know what we are buying before we get to the till."

Domino’s has confirmed that it has been using thin and crispy pizza bases with GM ingredients since the beginning of February after its usual supplier in Ireland had a factory fire which stopped production.

The firm apologised for not updating its website, and confirmed that it hopes to return to using non-GM bases in September.

M&S said its decision to stock GM products "in no way affects our commitment to only using non-GM ingredients in M&S food".

And a Waitrose spokesman insisted that any GM ingredients in American chocolate stocked by the store were "clearly labelled".

GM crops like sugar beet, corn, or maize and soya have been at the centre of concerns that the associated industrial farming practices have caused serious harm to the environment.

The plants have been altered through the insertion of foreign genes that create toxins to kill insects or give them immunity to spraying with powerful chemical weed killers.

There is evidence from the USA that certain weeds have developed immunity to the same weed killers with the result that they are taking over many fields.

At the same time, the use of sprays alongside the GM crops is thought to have caused a collapse in the population of the Monarch butterfly, which is now under threat.

Critics of the technology are also concerned about the lack of independent research to show the resulting food is safe to eat.

A recent Food Standards Agency (FSA) study found a rise in concerns about GM food. Some 24 per cent listed GM as a concern, which was higher than food hygiene in the home.
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2. GM ingredients in Domino's and Waitrose

GM Freeze, 21 Mar 2015
http://www.gmfreeze.org/news-releases/261/

Commenting on the news that Domino's is selling GM pizza bases, and Waitrose has started stocking GM Hershey's bars GM Freeze Director Liz O'Neill said:

“Imported American sweets are bad enough but if Domino’s are making GM pizza bases here in the UK then they really are out of step with their customers. People in the UK have demonstrated time and again that they don’t want to eat GM food and the Food Standards Agency’s public attitudes survey recently showed concern about GM at an all-time high. Whether motivated by concern for declining wildlife and flourishing superweeds, wider ethical issues, safety or personal preference, we have a right to make an informed choice and the conflicting statements on the Domino’s website currently make that virtually impossible.

“With Waitrose’s website proudly stating that ‘we intend to stay as GM free as we can for as long as we can [because it] is what our customers want’, it is hard to fathom why a retailer that trades on quality and ethics has started stocking products with GM ingredients that the manufacturer themselves has committed to phasing out.  We expect more from Waitrose than America’s cast offs.”

A list of of GM products spotted on the shelves and information on how you can help is available at www.gmfreeze.org/spotted

UPDATE:

At 3pm on 20 March Domino's website claimed that their products were all GM-free. The FAQs page was updated by the early hours of 21 March. GM Freeze welcomes this clearer information for consumers but is concerned that it seems to have taken a story in the Daily Mail to make it happen.