German retailer Metro and Japanese snack food maker Glico are being called on to stop selling genetically engineered foods in China.
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Products made by the two firms have been found to contain GM ingredients, said environmental campaign group Greenpeace in Beijing today (14 June).
Greenpeace accused the food makers of applying double standards by offering non-GM products in other countries but ignoring Chinese consumers.
“Like Japanese and German consumers, Chinese consumers do not want GE food,” said Greenpeace campaigner Lorena Luo.
Last year Greenpeace accused Kraft of using GM ingredients in China, prompting the firm to modify its formulation.
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By GlobalDataWhen contacted by just-food, a Metro China spokesperson declined to comment on the latest report.
The Chinese government only requires some unprocessed foodstuffs to be labelled when containing GM ingredients. However, according to a survey commissioned by Greenpeace, around 55% of consumers in China’s largest cities are aware of genetically modified food and of these, 65% would prefer to buy non-GM foods
