GM foods kept off the menu at Westminster

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GM foods kept off the menu at Westminster

The House of Commons is continuing to bar genetically modified food from its restaurants and cafés, despite a drive by ministers for the technology to be more widely accepted.

Environment secretary Owen Paterson using a particle gun used in the testing of genetically modified crops  Photo: Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire

 

By James Kirkup, Deputy Political Editor

8:50PM BST 21 Jun 2013

 

 

Owen Paterson, the Environment Secretary, this week launched a British move to try to persuade the European Union to relax restrictions on the cultivation of GM crops and allay public fears over so-called “Frankenfoods”.

Advocates of GM crops say they increase yields and produce more food. Critics say the technology remains unproven and could threaten human health and the ecosystem.

In a controversial intervention this week, Mr Paterson suggested people “thwarting” GM cultivation are putting lives at risk.

Despite his argument – which is backed by David Cameron – the House of Commons is upholding a policy of rejecting GM ingredients served in the Palace of Westminster.

However, the Commons insisted that banning GM, which was put in place in 1998, was not about health fears, but simply reflected “customer choice”.

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“The House of Commons Catering Service avoids, wherever identifiable, the procurement of foods that contain genetically modified organisms,” the service said.

“To this end, as part of the tendering process, food suppliers are required to work to a strict GM organisms policy and give assurances that goods supplied be free from genetically modified materials.” It added: “The decision to avoid GMs is seen as largely a matter of customer choice.”

The Commons’ resistance to GM foods has come to light a day after Downing Street refused to say if the Prime Minister and his family would happily consumer food including GM ingredients.

Mr Paterson today acknowledged that his argument for more use of GM technology faces stiff resistance because of deep public scepticism.

He wants EU regulators to approve a long list of new GM crops, including herbicide-tolerant maize and sugar beet.

Current rules mean that only when other European nations accept the case for GM will it be possible for Britain to use the crops more widely, he told the ConservativeHome website.

He said: “I have to work closely the whole time with various allies, but it is a typical issue where there are terribly strong feelings in some member states. The last poll I saw in Germany 98 per cent of people are opposed to GM, so you have to really respect that.”

Mr Paterson’s outspoken argument for GM technology has angered some campaigners and worried politicians who agree with him but fear his combative approach will be counterproductive.

Lady Parminter, the Lib Dem spokeswoman for food, the environment and rural affairs in the House of Lords, said Mr Paterson runs the risk of being seen as “cheerleading for the GM industry”.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/environment/10135908/GM-foods-kept-off-the-menu-at-Westminster.html