19 December 2005 - Beijing, China — Greenpeace today welcomed the commitment from Kraft Foods, the second largest food producer in the world, to supply only non-GE food in China, starting from 1 January 2007.
In a letter dated 13 December, 2005, Kraft Foods said to Greenpeace China, “As of 1 January 2007, for products sold by Kraft Foods in the People's Republic of China, Kraft will only use non-GM crop-derived ingredients, including additives and flavours.”
“Kraft Foods’ decision to shift to non-GE is a strong signal to the food industry.” said Steven Ma, Greenpeace China GE Campaigner. “The growing concerns of the Chinese consumers have started to reshape the GE ingredient policy of top food companies.” The latest IPSOS[1] survey conducted in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou in December 2004 shows that 57% of Chinese consumers would choose non-GE food, while only 16% of the respondents expressed willingness to try GE food.
Kraft Foods is among the several top ranking food companies, including PepsiCo, Coca-Cola and Danone, who have already adopted a non-GE policy in China. According to the recently released Shopper’s Guide to Avoiding GE Food by Greenpeace in China, 107 food brands have applied a non-GE policy in China up to October 2005.
“The food industry’s rejection of GE ingredients is just a logical step after consumers have expressed their suspicion over GE food,” said Ma. “If the world’s second largest food producer has altered its policy from GE to non-GE in China, what are other companies waiting for?”
Ironically, the world’s number one food producer, Nestle, does not commit to a non-GE policy in China, even if it has been criticised for adopting a double standard, as it has a non-GE policy for the EU, Russia and Brazil.