GM food

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If a customer or an environmental health officer asks about any genetically modified ingredients in the food and drink you serve you, and your staff,...

If a customer or an environmental health officer asks about any genetically modified ingredients in the food and drink you serve you, and your staff, have to know how to respond.

In the UK, there is really only a slight chance that there are any genetically modified ingredients in the food you are serving to your customers. The media outcry over the issue has been so great that most suppliers do not use them in the manufacture of food products, and say so very clearly.

While it is important that you are able to reassure customers that the food you serve is safe in every way, the GM issue does not seem to be the biggest concern for pub customers. The newly-published annual survey of publicans carried out for the Publican's Market Report shows that 86 per cent of pubs have never been asked about the issue by customers. However, the subject is important because, if customers or the EHO asks about any GM ingredients in the food — and drink — you serve you, and your staff, have to be able to tell them.

The law

Under the Food Labelling (Amendment) Regulations 1999, any items on a menu containing genetically modified soya and/or maize must be clearly labelled.

These regulations are applicable to all food outlets selling or serving food to the public, including pubs. If a product on your menu contains genetically modified soya or genetically modified maize it must say so on the menu.

The guidance to the regulations recommends several ways of informing your customers, for example explaining in a note on the menu that foods marked with an asterix contain ingredients produced from genetically modified soya and/or maize.

However, you cannot simply state that some products "may contain genetically modified soya and/or maize". You must obtain all the relevant information from your suppliers to allow you to ensure that your menu is accurate. If you wish to state that all your foods are GM free you must be absolutely sure that this is correct.

Finally, if you use a blackboard as your menu and your items are constantly changing, you may be able to make a general statement such as "some of the foods may contain ingredients from genetically modified soya and/or maize. Please ask staff for details". Ensure that your staff have detailed knowledge of these products so they can answer any queries. If you are unsure as to any suitable wording then your local environmental health officer should be able to advise you.

Suppliers

If you decide to take the "all our products are GM free" line, you have to be able to prove it. That means that you need to ask all your suppliers what their position is.

This should be relatively straightforward with a major supplier. Brake Bros Foodservice, for example, has a policy to exclude GM ingredients and derivatives from all products.

However, Eileen Steinbock, Brake Bros company dietician, recognises the problems pubs face in being able to make the confident statement which customers might expect. "We can be sure that the ingredients we source are GM free, that may not be so easy for a small local supplier," she said.

Another area where publicans may fall down is the fact that staff need to be able to tell customers the pub's policy. "What you have to do is agree a statement that staff will make when asked, even if it is as simple as saying to the customer that they will ask you, as the manager, to come and talk to them about it. As long as staff know that's what they're supposed to say, you're covered," said Ms Steinbock.

Recognising that food comes in many forms, the regulations are flexible about how suppliers should inform you. Businesses selling foods to catering establishments loose or prepacked may provide the labelling information by a label attached to the food, a ticket or notice which the purchaser can see when they buy the food, or in commercial documents which either accompany the food, or are sent to the purchaser before or at the same time as delivery.

In practice, the variety of labelling approaches open to suppliers means you need to check all the food you buy carefully unless you have been given a blanket guarantee.

However, Eileen Steinbock reminds publicans to keep the issue in perspective. "It's unlikely that food you buy will contain GM ingredients, and it's unlikely that EHOs will ask the question — they seem to have more important priorities when it comes to pubs."

Geoffrey Podger, chief executive of the Food Standards Agency, recently told The Publican Newspaper that, despite government pressure for pubs to comply with new food labelling laws, no prosecutions have yet been made.

Mr Podger said: "There was a lot of public concern about GM products and this requirement was made to address that concern and protect the catering industry from protests. It is still very much the case that if people don't comply they will leave themselves open to prosecution."

Genetically modified food - the facts

What is GM?

Ironically, GM, or genetically modified, food products have been developed with the aim of making the food chain safer and more reliable. Much to the annoyance of the multinational companies which pioneered the commercial development of GM crops, the concept has become associated in the public's mind with concerns about unsafe farming practice which led to other, unrelated, recent food safety scares.

All living things are made up of cells. Each cell contains many thousands of different genes. It is these genes that determine the characteristics, or genetic make-up, of human beings, plants and animals. Genetic modification, is the technique of changing the genetic make-up of an individual organism by inserting, removing or altering individual genes to achieve a desired result.

Conventional breeding to develop new varieties of plants, for example, involves the mixing of many thousands of genes. Using GM techniques one or more specific genes can be inserted into cells to change the character of a particular plant.

Where is GM used?

GM has been used for many years in food production, crops and medicine. One of the first applications of GM in food production was the manufacture of chymosin, which is used to make cheese from milk. Before the development of the GM method, chymosin was obtained by scraping calves' stomachs. It is now produced in a much purer form from genetically modified bacteria, which are used in the manufacture of cheeses suitable for vegetarians. However, there is no GM material in the cheese itself, which does not have to be labelled. More recently, crops have been modified to improve weed control or to make plants resistant to insects. Some of these crops, including soya, maize, oilseed rape (see picture) and potato, are used to produce food ingredients or animal feed

How widespread is GM in food production?

Currently, only food ingredients from varieties of genetically modified soya, maize and oilseed rape have been approved for food use in Europe although very little is actually used. There is a commercial strain of genetically modified tomato, and some brands of tomato puree containing it have been known to find their way on sale in the EU.

How do GM foods get approved?

All GM products, including foods, undergo a safety assessment before they are sold. GM food will not be approved until this assessment has been completed. In the EU, approval is currently "on hold" due to the objections of some member states, although GM crops are grown in some EU countries. The European Commission is keen to restart the approval process.

Further information