Fury erupted [May 25] over Government plans to allow gene-edited foods to be sold unlabelled in British supermarkets — as Scotland and Wales both vowed to reject the move.
Ministers will today introduce new legislation to Parliament that is aimed at speeding up the development and marketing of DNA-altered crops and livestock, which are sometimes referred to as ‘Frankenfoods’.
It could pave the way for shelves to be stocked with vitamin D-fortified tomatoes and non-browning mushrooms by next year, while chickens that are bred to be resistant to bird flu may follow.
Environment Secretary George Eustice insisted that gene-edited products would not need to be advertised as such because they are ‘fundamentally natural’.
This, however, flies in the face of Government polling which shows most consumers want labels for altered products.
Britain’s biggest supermarkets have so far refused to confirm if they will stock the foods, despite the upcoming law change.
And environmental groups said they were ‘deeply disappointed’ that the Government was pushing ahead with the ‘unpopular’ policy.
The Bill will also only apply to England, with Scotland and Wales both opposed to the controversial technique – despite ministers actively trying to get all of the devolved nations on board.
