Posted on 18th November 2001

Kangaroos Jump Over GMOs

Food manufacturers were reportedly ditching genetically modified
ingredients to avoid pointing to them under new labelling laws.

Today's Sydney Morning Herald reported that big food companies have caved
in to consumer resistance and sought nonGM sources for ingredients. All
packaged food with GM ingredients manufactured from December 7 will have to
list the GM components, with exceptions relating to highly refined oils,
sugars and flavours, the report said. Despite earlier industry estimates
that 40 to 60 per cent of processed foods contained GM ingredients, the
largest supermarket chain, Woolworths, now expects only a handful of its
house brands to have to carry the GM label.

Australia's biggest food conglomerate Goodman Fielder told the Sydney
Morning Herald it had changed suppliers of a few ingredients in order to
meet the new rules. Sanitarium also said it had worked hard to arrange
nonGM sources for ingredients such as soy beans.

Industry sources say recipes for some foods would have to change to meet
the stringent new GM labelling rules.