Tests find GM ingredients in snacks
Greenpeace testing on 28 samples of popular snacks and dairy products sold in Hong Kong found five contained genetically modified ingredients, the environmental group said.
Its report comes ahead of the Government's announcement of consultation details on a labelling system for genetically modified (GM) food, scheduled for Monday.
The five products found to contain GM ingredients were Garden Cream Bun, Pak Fook fresh soya milk, Pringles potato crisps (sour cream and onion), Ritz Bits Sandwiches (peanut butter) and Nissin chicken-flavoured instant noodles.
Of these, only the Ritz Bits Sandwiches had not also been tested for genetically modified products by the Consumer Council, Greenpeace campaigner Lo Sze-ping said.
He said the group had asked Hong Kong DNA Chips Ltd to test 28 samples of popular snacks and dairy products last month .
'The Government should enact the mandatory labelling system for GM food as soon as possible to ensure food producers and distributors do not cheat consumers,' Mr Lo said.
Secretary for Environment and Food Lily Yam Kwan Pui-ying will attend a Legco panel meeting on Monday to announce details of the public consultation on enacting a labelling law for GM food.
It is believed the Government may adopt a labelling system similar to those in Japan and South Korea, meaning only the main ingredients of a product must be mentioned. Under this system, GM ingredients that amount to less than five per cent of the product need not be shown on the label.
This is much lower than the requirement set out by the European Union, where each GM ingredient must not exceed one per cent.
Garden Bakery, maker of the Garden Cream Bun, said the company obeyed the Food Safety Ordinance when making its products.
A company spokesman said it had appointed a research company to examine its products, with its findings indicating the sugar and flour it used during production were GM-free.
A Nissan Foods spokeswoman refused to comment on the test results.
Producers of the other three products were not available for comment yesterday.
