The companies are: Nestlé, Hindustan Unilever, Kellogg, Cadbury,
Agro Tech Foods Ltd., FieldFresh Foods Pvt Ltd. (a unit of Bharti
Enterprises), Bambino Agro Industries Ltd., Britannia Industries
Ltd., Godrej Hershey Foods, Parle, and Safal.
The 'red list' is a compilation of food companies that told
Greenpeace India they would use GM ingredients, companies that
evaded the issue in correspondence with Greenpeace, and companies
that said nothing despite repeated Greenpeace correspondence over
45 days.
A corresponding 'green list' is also in the 'Greenpeace Safe
Food Guide - A Consumer's Guide to GM-Free Food'. In the 'green
list' are companies who told Greenpeace they do not use GM
ingredients.
The good boys of the Indian food processing industry so far are:
MTR, Dabur, Haldiram's, ITC Foods, PepsiCo India, and Ruchi
Soya.
Jai Krishna, Greenpeace GM Markets Campaigner, released the safe
food guide at a press conference in New Delhi. Bejon Misra,
Managing Trustee, Healthy You Foundation, received the first copy
of the guide in a symbolic gesture on behalf of the consumers of
India.
"Greenpeace India is empowering consumers with this guide
because they have a right to know whether their food is GM-free.
Consumers also demand GM-free food as they have done in the
European Union, Brazil, and China," said Jai Krishna.
The companies in the 'red list' manufacture a host of foods
that cover virtually every household in India, at least in the
non-rural sector.
This is a quick list of the companies and some of their products
in the 'red list'. Basically, the bad boys.
Agro Tech Foods Ltd: Sundrop Sunflower oil, Crystal, Rath
Vanaspati, Act II popcorn.
Bambino Agro Industries Ltd: Vermicelli, soups, instant mixes,
Bambino pasta, sweets.
FieldFresh Foods Pvt Ltd (a Bharti unit): vegetables, fruits,
pre-cuts, noodle mix, pizza mix, sambhar mix.
Britannia Industries Ltd: Tiger, Milkman, Good Day (all
biscuits), Daily Fresh breads and rusks, cookies, cakes, butter,
yoghurt.
Cadbury: Dairy Milk, Five Star, Perk, Éclairs, Gems, Bournville,
Celebrations.
Godrej Hershey Foods: Nutrine, Xs, Jumpin, Sofit (soy milk),
oil, tea, vanaspati, tomato puree.
Kellogg: Corn flakes.
Hindustan Unilever: Brooke Bond, Lipton, Brooke Bond Bru,
Kissan, Annapurna, Knorr, Kwality Walls.
Nestlé: Everyday Whitener, Slim Milk, yoghurt, Milo, Nestea,
Maggi noodles, Maggi sauces, Kit Kat, Bar-One, Polo, and Cerelac,
Nestum, Lactogen (all baby foods).
Safal: fruits, vegetables, pickles, jams, squashes, fruit
drinks, IQF vegetables.
This is almost the entire grocery list of most urban families.
Chocolate products are another shock in the 'red' category, as are
the Maggi range.
Most of these products are marketed heavily on television,
sending messages that they help create healthy individuals.
Greenpeace India is saying this may not be so.
Greenpeace India demands that food businesses adopt a no-GM
policy because of the risks to health and environment, and that
they take proactive steps to inform consumers of the presence or
absence of GM products in their products.
"The safety of GM crops as a foodstuff for animals and humans is
unknown, and the testing regimes are inadequate. Studies on
laboratory animals (rats) have pointed out potential health risks
including allergies, abnormal growth of organs such as liver and
kidney, and many unpredictable effects," said Jai Krishna.
Bejon Misra, who received the first copy of the guide, said:
"Greenpeace has done yeoman service by providing this easily
understandable tool for consumers to be aware of GMOs. This would
empower the consumer."
Some of the 'green list' products are:
PepsiCo India: Uncle Chips, Cheetos, Lays, Kurkure, Quaker,
Tropicana, Gatorade, Slice, Dukes, Mangola.
ITC Foods: Kitchens of India, curry pastes, strawberry and mint
jam, Aaashirvaad Atta (wheat flour), Sunfeast biscuits and cookies,
Bingo, Candyman, Mint-o.
MTR: soups, ready to eat, rice meals, frozen foods, instant
sweet mixes, spice powders, pickles, jams, papads, ice creams,
instant snack mixes.
Ruchi Soya: Mahakosh oil, Ruchi Gold, Nutrela rice bran oil,
vanaspati, Nutrela N'rich, soy foods, bakery fats.
Dabur: Dabur Chyawanprash, Hajmola, Pudin Hara, soups, coconut
milk, tomato puree, Real, Activ, Lemoneez, Glucose-D, Dabur
Honey.
Haldiram's: Mopleez Aloo Bhujia, namkeens, gulab jamun, soan
papdi, other sweets, snacks.
Keep my food GM-free!
Join the rest of India and say NO to GM food.
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