New Delhi: Food products of Nestle, Cadbury, Kellogg, Britannia, and Safal are among those on a `red list` in a guide prepared by NGO Greenpeace about common food products in India that have genetically modified (GM) components or are GM-free.
The Safe Food Guide released by Greenpeace here ranks 16 well-known brands. It places food manufacturers like MTR, Dabur, Haldiram`s, ITC Foods, PepsiCo India and Ruchi Soya in the ?green list` based on their stand to Greenpeace that their products are GM-free.
In the ?red list` are Nestle, Hindustan Unilever, Kellogg, Cadbury, Agro Tech Foods Ltd, FieldFresh Foods Pvt Ltd (a unit of Bharti Enterprises), Bambino Agro Industries Ltd, Britannia Industries Ltd, Godrej Hershey Foods, Parle and Safal.
While releasing the guide, Jai Krishna of Greenpeace India demanded that "food businesses adopt a no-GM policy, because of the risks to health and environment, and take proactive steps to inform consumers about the presence or absence of GM ingredients in their products".
"The safety of GM crops as a foodstuff for animals and humans is unknown and the testing regimes are inadequate," Jai Krishna added, alleging: "Studies on laboratory animals (rats) have pointed out potential health risks, including allergies, abnormal growth of organs such as liver and kidney and many unpredictable effects".
Bureau Report