Is it safe to mess with food?

Prince Charles said he would not eat genetically modified (GM) food, nor serve it to guests. There were too many unanswered questions, he argued. "We simply do not know the long-term consequences for human health and the wider environment of releasing plants in this way."

Calling for a wide public debate, the Prince said choice backed by comprehensive labelling was needed. His intervention won widespread support.

The National Consumer Council said the Prince was more in tune with consumer concerns than European Union policy makers. They had failed to insist that food which has been genetically tampered with and normal crops are kept separate and clearly labelled.

The Consumers' Association was similarly supportive. "We're pleased to see such a high profile person getting involved in such an important issue and we hope the agrochemical industry will start taking consumers' concerns more seriously," a spokeswoman said.

"We think the process needs to be slowed down. It's possible that GM foods might prove to be a 'good thing', but our concern is that customers aren't ready to see them on the shelves yet and they must be given the choice of whether or not to eat GM foods. At the moment, they don't really have that choice."

And Robin Maynard, Food Campaigner for Friends of the Earth, said: "The Government must listen to the public fears articulated by Prince Charles before this dangerous genie is let out of the bottle."

Food created with the help of bio-technology is nothing new. For thousands of years we have been adding micro-organisms such as yeast and bacteria to enhance foods such as beer and yoghurt.

But it is only very recently that science has advanced to the stage where genetic manipulation is possible. Food can be altered like this in one of two ways. Biologists can tweak the existing genes or add genetic material (DNA) from another plant or species to transfer specific characteristics.

Supporters claim modification can make plants naturally resistant to weeds or pests, cutting back on the need for chemicals.

Furthermore, scientists can build-in benefits such as higher protein and vitamin levels, or even vaccines doing away with the need for injections.

GM foods already on the market include maize, tomatoes and soya - present in 60 per cent of processed foods - genetically changed to make them pest-resistant or stay fresh longer. Clearly labelled GM tomato puree went on sale in the UK in 1996 at Sainsbury and Safeway, and has proved popular with shoppers.

Other consumer benefits could include fruit and vegetables with a longer shelf-life, better flavour and easier storage. Scientists have also developed a naturally blue cotton plant and a naturally decaffeinated coffee bean.

Monsanto, the American-based bio-technology company, yesterday disclosed that farms in the Malton area are undergoing trials of genetically engineered oilseed rape.

In a statement, Monsanto said: "We believe in the benefits of bio-technology and its role in creating new approaches to agriculture, nutrition and health. Respected regulatory agencies around the world, including the UK, have already decided that bio-technology crops are safe for the environment and for people to eat.

"Those decisions are backed up by over 20 years of scientific and environmental research and more than 20,000 field trials. The body of evidence about the value and safety of bio-technology is easily accessible."

The statement went on to state Monsanto's belief in consumer choice.

Deborah Cavanagh, North East regional public relations officer for the National Farmers' Union, welcomed Prince Charles' intervention. "We agree that there should be labelling of GM foods and crops should be segregated," she said. "We believe that they should be grown subject to strict controls."

Environmental monitoring should continue long after the crops had been harvested, she added. But opponents have condemned any genetic manipulation. They call the tampered-with crops as "frankenfood" and warn their long-term safety has not been tested raising the prospect of another BSE-style nightmare.

Fears raised include the worry that new genes inserted into a new species will not necessarily behave the same way. New toxins, diseases, weaknesses and allergens could develop.

Alternatively they warn the modified plants could cross-breed with other plants, producing "mutant superweeds". And once released into the environment, genetic mistakes and pollution cannot be "re-captured".

Concerns mounted this year with a surge in the proportion of US soya imports containing GM crops. Many US growers have refused to separate modified soya crops and "normal" crops, making it impossible for supermarkets in this country to know whether they are using GM ingredients, and equally impossible for consumers to avoid them.

Earlier this year manufacturers agreed to label all food which could not be guaranteed as GM-free as containing GM ingredients.

Iceland has banned all GM soya from own label goods: Sainsbury and Tesco have managed to source the vast bulk of own-label goods from GM-free crops.

Consumer groups are calling for much more rigorous testing of the foods and stringent labelling of all GM ingredients. Field trials of GM crops in the UK have attracted demonstrations from activists.

Patrick Holden, director of the organic movement's Soil Association, said that genetically-modified food "poses serious risks which are too great for us to proceed with the technology as the present time. It is a potential threat to the environment on a very wide scale."

He warned that most of the new crops would be herbicide-resistant, while there were also unforeseen health risks to consumers "which if they came to pass could be irreversible and very difficult to counter".

"This is a technology which is going to be imposed on all of us whether we like it or not, and it will deny consumers choice.

"This technology is potentially irreversible. We can't put the genes back in the test tube. We ought to adopt a precautionary principle.".

Food safety minister Jeff Rooker insisted there were strict controls in place to ensure GM foods on the market were safe. He said: "Prince Charles is entitled to his view like anyone else. What I'd say is we have very strict and rigorous regulatory controls over genetic modification whether it's in terms of foods or medicines.

"These products are not put on the market without thorough examination and checks and balances by not just the companies but independent assessors. Anyone with concerns is entitled to have them. We all have them in a way."

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