Nestle Supports Responsible Use of GMOs in Food Products"

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Business World (Philippines)
May 22, 2002


Nestle strongly reaffirms its view that genetically modified organisms (GMOs) or ingredients derived from them do not constitute a health risk, provided they have passed strict scientific evaluation, and are therefore found to be as safe as their traditional counterpart.

The company said this following recently published Greenpeace statements charging Nestle with supporting the use of GMOs in food production. Greenpeace's charges came after its representatives from Thailand, Philippines, Argentina and Switzerland met with Nestle at the World Food Company's headquarters in Switzerland. In the meeting, Nestle confirmed its global position that there are no food safety or quality considerations that would justify a worldwide corporate decision to avoid using GM crops in food production. Nestle said the safety of its products and the integrity of the ingredients from which they are manufactured are paramount. "Genetically modified crops, as all raw materials used by Nestle, comply with strict regulatory and safety evaluations. Nestle concurs with the shared opinion of the World Health Organization (WHO), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and numerous other independent scientific bodies that genetically modified crops, including ingredients derived from them, that have passed food safety evaluation procedures, are as safe for use in food production as their traditional counterparts."

Nestle further said that as a research and innovation-based company, it cannot accept a general rejection of a new and promising technology without any scientific evidence supporting such a rejection, which to date none of the critics have been able to produce. For more than 130 years now, Nestle has developed products that provide wellness and nutrition by successfully applying scientific breakthroughs and technological innovations while upholding the quality and safety of its products.

The company recognizes the potential of gene technology in the longer term to improve the quality, availability and nutritional value of food. According to Nestle, gene technology has the potential to increase food production and support sustainable agricultural practices. "For these reasons, Nestle supports a responsible application of gene technology for food production based on sound scientific research," the statement said.

Nestle regrets that a worldwide organization like Greenpeace refuses to give gene technology a chance despite the recent admission by two of its scientists, Mssrs. Bertrand Rebelle and Doug Parr, that GM crops currently in the market do not raise safety concerns. During a public debate on February 4 and 5 this year, Greenpeace France president Bertrand Rebelle said, "We don't have any fear for the safety of GMOs, but we are convinced it is not good for society."

In an interview with BBC on January 31, 2002, on the other hand, Greenpeace chief scientist Doug Parr said, "It has never been Greenpeace's contention that every GM crop and every GM food is going to be dangerous. that just because one GM food has turned out to be safe doesn't mean the next one will be..."

On the Greenpeace allegation that Nestle applies double standards by using GMO-derived ingredients in developing countries and avoiding their use in developed ones, Nestle cited its biggest market, North America, where GM ingredients have been used since 1996. "GMO-derived ingredients used in North America are proven to be as safe for consumption as their traditional counterparts. These ingredients meet the Nestle standard for food safety and quality, which is the same throughout the world."

As a responsible corporate citizen, Nestle said it complies with government rules and regulations on the use of gene technology, wherever it operates.

** NOTICE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed for research and educational purposes only. **


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Last Updated on 5/23/02
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President Bush Bashes EU Biotech Ban

NEW LONDON, Connecticut, May 21, 2003 (ENS) - In a commencement address today in front of the 2003 graduating class of the U.S. Coast Guard, President George W. Bush accused the European Union of contributing to starvation in Africa by rejecting U.S. genetically modified crops.
The President said European objections to genetically modified, or biotech, crops are the product of "unfounded, unscientific fears." Europe's reluctance to embrace biotech crops is impeding the effort to solve the long term problem of world hunger, Bush said, in particular in Africa.

Bush said that the European ban on approving new biotech crops has "caused many African nations to avoid investing in biotechnologies, for fear their products will be shut out of European markets."

"European governments should join - not hinder - the great cause of ending hunger in Africa," Bush said.

Several African nations, including Zambia and Zimbabwe, have rejected U.S. food aid because it contained GM corn. These countries fear the GM corn could end up in crops or be fed to beef cattle tagged for export to Europe, which could then reject the African imports.

The President's remarks come only a week after his administration launched a formal complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO) against the European Union's five year ban on approving biotech foods.

U.S. officials say European policy is illegal, harming the U.S. economy, stunting the growth of the biotech industry and contributing to increased starvation in the developing world.

EU officials say the U.S. is mischaracterizing its position on biotech foods and that the EU's regulatory system for approving these foods is in line with the WTO's rules.

Critics of the administration's policy say it is disingenuous to link the biotech debate with starvation in Africa and many point out that the benefits of biotech foods are unproven. There is not a food supply problem, some contend, rather there is a food distribution problem.

In his speech today Bush partially agreed with this notion, but insisted that biotech crops could provide the answer.

"Our world produces more than enough food to feed its six billion people," Bush said. "By widening the use of new high-yield bio-crops and unleashing the power of markets, we can dramatically increase agricultural productivity and feed more people across the continent."

The United States produces some two thirds of the world's biotech crops and U.S. officials estimate the EU ban has cost its agricultural industry hundreds of millions, including some $300 million a year in corn sales alone.

Bush's speech today escalates a growing trade dispute between the two massive trading partners just as the members of the Group of Eight (G8) countries prepare to meet in June for their annual economic summit. A group of executives from some of the world's largest U.S., European, Japanese and Canada sent a joint letter this week to Bush and the other G8 leaders urging them to get global trade negotiations back on track.


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