Volunteers from Greenpeace and Green Hope, a Guangzhou environmental group, blindfold themselves while holding Nestle's Maggi Beancurd and Vegetable Soup which has been found to contain GE ingredients, symbolising the fact that
Greenpeace today released China's first comprehensive survey of
consumer attitude to genetically engineered (GE) food, showing that
as in the developed countries, the majority of consumers favoured
non-GE food, and strongly demanded a labelling system to protect
their right to know and to reject GE food. (1)
The survey conducted in the southern city of Guangzhou showed
that although 64% of Guangzhou citizens did not know that GE food
products were sold in supermarkets, a clear majority of respondents
would choose GE-free food. Many were willing to pay more for non-GE
food with over 40% indicating that they would still choose a non-GE
product even if it costs 10% more than a GE counterpart. An
overwhelming majority, over 80%, wanted GE food products to be
labelled.
"China's urban consumers are basically the same as consumers in
developed countries with the majority favouring non-GE food once
they are given the right to choose. The Chinese Government has
wisely taken a more cautious approach in commercialising GE food
crops because officials are uncertain whether the market would
accept GE food. Food producers and supermarkets should also
recognise and act on consumers' demands and eliminate GE
ingredients from their products," said Sze Pang Cheung, GE
campaigner of Greenpeace China.
Today, Greenpeace also launched its GE Food-Road show at the
city of Guangzhou, marking a start of its consumer campaign in the
largest food market in the world. In an event - the first of its
kind in mainland China - blindfolded volunteers from a local
environmental organisation, Green Hope, stationed themselves
outside the press conference venue holding Nestle's Maggi Beancurd
and Vegetables Soup and Nesquik products - all found to contain GE
ingredients. As the Year of the Goat is approaching, the Road-show
will carry the slogan, "Stay Away from GE Food, Enjoy a Healthy New
Year".
The campaign is being launched amidst a clearly rising consumer
concern and rejection of GE crops and food in China. This was
evident in late 2002with the public outcry after Greenpeace exposed
Nestle's selling of non-labelled GE-food products in China. A web
poll on one of China's largest websites(sina.com) recorded 5000
sign ups in two days, all but one percent against Nestle's actions.
Newspapers reported that Chinese consumers were returning products
to Nestle's offices. Recently, Heilongjiang province, responsible
for 80% of soya export from China, declared a policy to keep GE soy
away from the province. In the neighbouring province of Liaoning,
the provincial government demanded that soya milk for school
children must be non-GE. Furthermore, China's new regulation
restricted GE imports, leading to a decrease in soya imports and
almost no corn import last year while China's own corn export to
South East Asia exceeded American corn for the first time.
"It has been a nightmare year for the GE industry in China and
frankly the coming year does not look any better for them," said
Sze.
Notes: (1) The Survey on Guangzhou Citizens's Safety Awareness of GE Food was commissioned by Greenpeace and conducted by the Anthropology Department, Zhongshan University from October to November 2003. Interviews were carried out with a representative sample size of 1,000 citizens in Guangzhou metropolitan area. An English summary and a Chinese full report of the survey are available upon request. Please contact the above or write to 
(2) A van will be visiting schools and supermarkets and touring local communities in Guangzhou from 17th to 19th January 2003. The GE Food-Road-show is also supported by other local organisations.