- Manila/Basel - Greenpeace has revealed test results showing
massive levels (between 34 percent and 66 percent) of genetically engineered
(GE) soya in the soya ingredient of Gerber/Novartis baby food products
sold in the Philippines.
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- The Swiss based food and agrochemical multinational Novartis
is selling GE baby food despite its pledge one year ago to stop using genetically
modified organisms (GMOs) in its food products worldwide.
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- ì"Are Novartis' promises only valid in rich
countries and not in poor ones such as the Philippines?" asked Greenpeace
Southeast Asia campaigner in the Philippines Beau Baconguis while presenting
the test results at a press conference in Manila (Philippines) this morning.
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- The Philippine Congress filed a bill on 15 August 2001
requiring the labelling of GMO derived food and food products under which
the penalty for failing to label would be six to 12 years in jail.
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- Today, in Basel, Switzerland, Greenpeace activists are
protesting in front of the Novartis headquarters, blocking the main entrance
of the building with hundreds of baby-puppets.
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- The puppets are holding protest signs saying : "Novartis/Gerber,
keep your promise!" and "Novartis/Gerber, stop genetically modified
Baby food!".
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- Food products in Europe are mostly GE free but unlabelled
GE food is sold to consumers in other parts of the world.
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- ìWe demand an immediate stop to Novartisë
double standards policy,ì said Bruno Heinzer of Greenpeace Switzerland
in front of the Novartis building.
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- Three Novartis/Gerber baby food products sold in the
Philippines were sent for testing by Greenpeace to the internationally
certified Hong Kong laboratory, DNA Chips, where very high levels of GE
contamination was found in the products that contained soya. For example,
in the product Green Monggoís - 66.7 percent ; Cream of Brown Rice
- 52.2 percent and Mixed Fruit: 34.3 percent.
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- These levels of contamination demonstrate Novartisë
deliberate intention to use GMOs in its Gerber baby food products (manufactured
in Indonesia) in the Philippines. (1)
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- In the past Novartis repeatedly declared it would not
use GMOs in its food products.
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- On 11 June 1999, Novartis Consumer Health head Martin
Stefani wrote in a letter to Greenpeace ì Our consumers can be sure
that our baby food does not contain any GMOs or parts derived thereof.ì
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- This was reiterated by Novartis US spokesperson Al Piergallini,
who was quoted in the Wall Street Journal Europe of 30 July 1999 saying:
ìI want our mothers to be comfortableì.
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- In a letter to Greenpeace dated 2 August 2000, Novartis
declared it would not use anymore GMOs in its food products worldwide.
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- Greenpeace is now urging Novartis to respect its own
pledges not only in rich nations but in all countries.
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- Scientific understanding of the impacts of genetic engineering
on the environment and human health is extremely limited.
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- Greenpeace believes that citizens and consumers worldwide
have the right to know how their food is produced and to refuse to eat
genetically engineered food.
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- Information recently published by a team of Belgian scientists
shows unknown DNA in the GE soya used in Novartis/Gerber baby food products.
This ìRoundUp Readyî soya is patented and sold by US multinational
Monsanto.
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