Robyn Grace
September 27, 2010 - 11:27AM
Angry mothers are staging supermarket sit-ins in an effort to force a national recall of a brand of baby formula they claim contains unlabelled genetically modified products.
Eight mothers this morning stormed the Coles supermarket in Fitzroy, Melbourne, and 15 are protesting at a Woolworths store in Sydney's Neutral Bay.
The groups cordoned off a display for breast milk replacement S-26 Soy and demanding the product be removed from shelves.
The action follows two tests commissioned by Greenpeace Australia Pacific that allegedly revealed trace elements of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), which are not labelled on the product.
Greenpeace ordered independent tests in Germany and the US. Results showed up to 0.2 per cent of GM soy and corn in the formula.
Under Australian law, products can contain up to 1 per cent of genetically modified material, provided it is unintentional, without requiring it to be labelled as containing GMO.
But Greenpeace said today mothers were being "kept in the dark" about the presence of genetically modified products in the formula.
Greenpeace claims independent testing has uncovered genetically engineered products in S-26 Soy nine times since 1998. A test conducted by Channel Seven's Sunday Nightprogram was the 10th occasion.
Protesters have demanded tougher labelling laws, more stringent GM testing and punishment for companies that breach restrictions.
"These new inventions have not undergone any of the rigorous testing necessary to establish their risk profile and safety for adults, let alone babies," Greenpeace CEO Linda Selvey said.
"Australian parents have the right to know what they are feeding their kids and how safe it is."
S-26 Soy is given to babies up to one-year-old who are lactose intolerant or who are on a vegetarian diet.
There have been no long-term studies of the health effects of eating GM foods.
Wyeth Nutrition, part of the global Pfizer group which produces S26 Soy, said in a statement last night it had a strict policy of using only non-genetically modified ingredients in all its infant formulas.
But it said it was "well recognised" by health authorities that non-GMO products could unintentionally contain traces of GMOs due to cross-pollination during cultivation, harvesting, storage, transport or processing.
"It is important to note that trace amounts of GMO do not present a health or safety threat to infants," the company said.
Wyeth Nutrition said it had requested a copy of the test results and welcomed the chance to work with Greenpeace and the relevant authorities to address the matter.
Comment is being sought from Wyeth Nutrition, Coles and Woolworths.
- with AAP
This story was found at: http://www.theage.com.au/national/angry-mums-storm-supermarket-babyformula-aisles-20100927-15t2j.html
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