31/7/2025 Supermarkets Asked To Label Gene Edited Foods. Consumers Betrayed by Ministerial Decision Against GE Labelling.
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31/7/2025 Supermarkets Asked To Label Gene Edited Foods. Consumers Betrayed by Ministerial Decision Against GE Labelling. |
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Minister Hoggard's statement on P1055 that consumers can avoid GE by buying organic is patronising and dismissive of people's choice to know what they are eating. [1] Labelling and information is a core part of the Ministerial Forum responsibility to the public, but the public have been failed. Now producers and supermarkets will have to defend consumer choice. Producers and supermarkets must go beyond FSANZ's rules in order to maintain the integrity of the food system and consumer choice. [2] Supermarkets must voluntarily label GE foods even if Food Standards no longer require GE foods be labelled. [3] "Consumers want Gene Edited food regulated and labelled," said Jon Carapiet, spokesman for GE-Free NZ. "The majority of Kiwis want supermarket food to be safe, natural and non-GE and supermarkets must disclose GE foods to keep faith with the public." The Ministerial Forum has again only listened to industry and embedded GE scientists and betrayed the public by exempting GE foods from labelling. GE or new breeding technologies impose the risk on consumers. Gene editing or new breeding technologies (NBT) have many unforeseen changes to the DNA whether foreign DNA' is introduced or not. The whole Food Regulatory system is undermined by pretence and industry capture. "It is misleading to say no harm has been found as there are no diagnostic tools to detect harm," said Claire Bleakley, GE-Free NZ president, "Minister Hoggard please will you provide the studies that show new breeding technologies are safe? References [1] https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/ruralnews/audio/2018997961/midday-rural-news-for-31-july-2025 [2]https://www.gefree.org.nz/press-releases-2019-2025/130813-authorities-deny-farmers-and-consumers-the-right-to-choose/ [3] https://x.com/GEHonesty/status/1930523619156967931 Ends: Claire Bleakley - President GE Free NZ - 027 348 6731 Jon Carapiet - GE-Free NZ spokesman - 02105076781 |
Ministerial approval to remove labelling of certain genetically engineered foods goes against the majority of submissions and is a betrayal of consumers' right to know if food is GMO.