UK restaurants to start GM labelling Sunday
Date: 20-Sep-99
Country: UK
The regulations which also apply to pubs, canteens and other catering
premises require some 500,000 UK catering premises to show which dishes
on their menus contain GM soya or maize, a MAFF spokeswoman said.
Alternatively, the restaurants must indicate that some meals contain
genetically modified ingredients and staff must be able to inform
customers which dishes are affected when asked, the spokeswoman added.
Food Minister Baroness Hayman said the moves would ensure consumers
could make an "informed choice" about their food.
British consumers have voiced concerns about the safety of GM
"Frankenstein Foods" and activists have destroyed some of the country's
government-approved GM test crops in recent weeks.
Many supermarkets have withdrawn all GM products from the shelves after
public opinion polls showed Britons were overwhelmingly against the
engineered foods. Labelling requirements have applied in retail premises
since September 1998.
Restaurateurs and caterers will be required to meet the requirements of
the regulations or face fines of up to 5,000 pounds for non-compliance,
the MAFF spokeswoman said.
If necessary laboratory tests would be used to ensure that food did not
contain GM products, the spokeswoman added.
A poll by the BBC released on Monday showed that 53 percent of outlets
were still unaware of the GM label deadline.