‘I
just don’t get it,’ I said to Becky as we slung kettlebells around down by the
river.
‘Huh?’
she said. I think the grunt was in
reference to my utterance (but you can never be sure when you're doing kettlebells).
‘Well,’
I said. How come the Co-op say on their website that they have banned GM foods
yet their goat’s cheese says it was made using genetically modified
pseudo-rennet?’
‘Huh?’
That was definitely in reference to me as she turned and frowned (though, then
again, that’s a common facial expression during clean and press.
‘Yup,’
I said.
‘Did
you ask them about it?’ she said.
‘I
sure did,’ I said. And I had. And this chap, Richard Carroll, had emailed me back and said
"Dear Jane,
Thanks for your email. We have banned Genetically Modified (GM) crops,
ingredients or additives in Co-operative brand food products since 1999…
With regard to the goats' cheese you bought… although a GM rennet has
been used, there is no actual GM in the final cheese..."
Hmm. Is
it just me, or is that a bit disingenuous?
So they can claim the high ground cos there’s no GM actually left
in the final product, even though it was used in the making thereof? And look at that statement again – carefully. They have banned GM in their own-brand
products – ergo, not in all the products they stock.
Am I
being too picky here? I guess their
statement is literally factually correct, but surely it goes against the spirit
of the thing? Google Co-operative and GM and the results make them sound like the saints of the marketplace. But it's not entirely true that they're white knights on gleaming white chargers, is it? They're kinda a bit muddy.
So I
emailed him back and he emailed me back again pointing out that they ‘go further than
most retailers with the information we provide so I don’t feel this is
disingenuous.’ And then (was he gritting
his teeth? It’s always so hard to tell with emails) he said, ‘This information
is provided with our customers’ interest in mind and we are not obliged to
provide it.’
Yup, I
hear you – you’re the white knights, right? The knights who say, 'Er...
‘The
product does not contain GM ingredients so labelling it as such would be
incorrect. As previously explained, we have banned genetically modified crops,
ingredients or additives in Co-operative band food products since 1999.’
Yes, yes,
I heard you the first time. But, y’know,
I’m still frowning over this.
As you probably know, I don’t like GM. It may be totally
safe for us to eat (I have absolutely no idea – I don’t think anyone really has
any idea longterm – how can they? But
just bear in mind that people used to think smoking was good for people with
asthma).
What does seem pretty clear to me is that it isn’t remotely safe for our
environment. But hey, it's our children and grandchildren who'll have to worry about that, right? :(
I’m not a
food fascist. I figure everyone has the right to eat
and drink exactly what they choose.
Sure, it saddens me when James drinks Coke and other fizzy drinks (and
particularly if he drinks the ones that come stuffed with aspartame – cos,
truly, they haven’t got a CLUE what that particular baby does to your brain). Sure I kinda wince when I see people ladle
saturated fat into their bodies but hey…what can I do? As far as James is concerned, all I can do is
inform him and not keep the stuff in the house.
What he does when he’s out has to be his business.
But I do
think food and drink should be clearly labelled so we can make informed
choices. Personally I’d like to see a
clear label (not some tiny small print on the back of a label) saying if any GMO has been implicated in the making of the
foodstuff. But that ain’t gonna happen,
is it? Cos there are too many vested
interests at stake.
 |
| Sadly this is a spoof but... |
It’s not
just the Co-op of course – but I guess I expected a bit more from this
particular operation, given they tout their ethics so much.
Anyhow. By the time I’d stopped discussing this with
Becky, the class was almost over.
‘The
world’s crazy,’ she said, shaking her head sadly. 'Crazy.'
And we manoeuvred
into Plank as the first drops of rain started falling.
