IBEC happy with test procedures

Supermarket companies operating in Ireland said they were satisfied with the safety of genetically modified foods on their shelves. The potato strain found to impair the immune system of rats would under no circumstances have been sold as a foodstuff for human consumption, they added.

The business and employers' group, IBEC, which has conducted an extensive evaluation of GM foods and consulted independent scientists in a joint initiative with large supermarket groups, said those GM foods currently on sale had undergone exhaustive testing both in the US and Europe.

Its spokeswoman, Ms Kathryn Raleigh, said modified maize and soya products were on sale in Ireland. It was satisfied, based on the views of the independent scientists and the assurances of companies who developed the gene technology, that there were no negative health effects associated with their consumption.

The potato contained a lectin protein which was not in the maize or soya products, she said, and there was no question of it being commercialised. IBEC had a policy of looking at each product as it appeared.

A Dunnes Stores spokesman said the company was fully committed to maintaining consumer confidence in its products and was in close contact with the relevant authorities on the issue.

Mr Eamonn Quinn, marketing director of Superquinn, said the potato research had no immediate implications for the foods they stocked. It was clear from the programme, nonetheless, that people wanted GM products to be rigorously tested, he said. This was a matter for the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, but Superquinn had contributed to the open debate now taking place on GM foods by fully informing its customers. A Tesco spokeswoman said it had implemented IBEC guidelines on GM foods and its technological team was keeping fully abreast of all relevant scientific research.