UK FOOD NEWS

[Guest guest]

hello all -

 

found in Grist - below are some interesting food news from the UK.

Monsanto is in trouble due to some mysterious DNA in their soybeans

and pesticides lingering on fruits and veggies sold in UK

supermarkets are causing increasing concern among UK

citizens....links to the articles can be found at

<http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/daily/daily081601.asp>...alicia

 

 

ON DE LOOSE

Greenpeace U.K. is in a tizzy because of mysterious DNA found in

Monsanto's Roundup Ready soybeans, the world's most widely grown

genetically engineered crop. The unexpected string of DNA, which was

found by Belgian government and university scientists, is located

next to the corn's inserted gene, provoking the enviro group to

accuse Monsanto of not knowing as much about its product as it

should. Greenpeace scientist Janet Cotter-Howells said, " I don't

think you can come out and say it's unsafe. You can just say it's

unknown whether it's safe or not. " One of the Belgian scientists,

Marc De Loose from the Center for Agricultural Research, said there

was no evidence that the unknown DNA could lead to harmful effects.

 

 

RESIDON'TS

Nearly half the fruit and vegetables sold in U.K. supermarkets since

1998 contained pesticide residues, according to an analysis of

government pesticide data by Friends of the Earth. The group said

most of the residues were within legal limits, but it raised concerns

that the individual chemicals could be dangerous in combination,

especially for unborn children and young children. It called for the

government to improve its research into the effects of chemical

combination and to develop a plan to reduce pesticide use. A

supermarket spokesperson said the group was misrepresenting the

government data.