Schools reject gene foods

January 1999

School meals services are banning genetically modified foods from the menu, according to a survey published by the Food Commission today. Twenty-one out of thirty-three London boroughs and at least fourteen county councils in the rest of England have adopted official policies against the inclusion of GM foods or are actively seeking to avoid them, the survey found.

'Even where schools are now using outside catering contractors they can still make changes,' said Food Commission co-director, Dr Tim Lobstein. 'One large school food supplier, Chartwells, told us that they are willing to remove GM foods from their school meals. If schools cannot ban GM foods then their menus should declare the presence of GM foods when these have been used.'