30 May 2002

OZ'S 'DELIA/THE QUEEN MUM' LAUNCHES GE FREE SHOPPING GUIDE

Margaret Fulton is Australia's equivalent of Delia or the Queen Mum...
check out the new website http://www.greenpeace.org.au/truefood

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Margaret Fulton helps shoppers say no to genetically engineered food

Sydney, Wednesday May 29, 2002: Australia’s leading food expert, Margaret Fulton, today launched a new publication designed to give Australian shoppers control over their food. The True Food Guide reveals which food companies may be using genetically engineered (GE) ingredients in their products and which are not.

Greenpeace released new market research today, which shows that 68% of Australians would be less likely to buy a food if they knew it was genetically engineered.

"It is clear that most Australians don’t want to eat GE foods, but they’ve had no way of knowing how to avoid them," said Greenpeace GE campaigner John Hepburn. "The True Food Guide will empower shoppers to say no to genetically engineered foods."

Launching the True Food Guide Margaret Fulton said, "Genetically engineered food threatens everything I stand for. There is enough evidence to tell us that genetically engineered food is not a good idea. The True Food Guide will be our reference to what is safe to eat - not only for us, but for our children, grandchildren and great grandchildren".

The pocket-size True Food Guide rates food companies according to their policies on using genetically engineered ingredients. Over 170 food companies and 400 products are classified in three categories:

Green: companies that have given written assurance that they are not using GE ingredients anywhere in the food chain.
Orange: companies that are committed to removing GE ingredients and are in the process of doing so.
Red: companies that have no policy to remove GE derived ingredients, including those from animals fed GE feed, and companies that did not respond adequately to our enquiries.
Half a million free True Food Guides will be distributed nationally, beginning with the Good Food Shows in Sydney and Melbourne. Copies of the guide are available from Greenpeace by calling 1800 815 151 or from GeneEthics network on 1300 133 868. Copies can also be downloaded from
www.greenpeace.org.au/truefood.

Contact:
Communications Officer, Ellen Stuebe ph: (02) 9263
0326  mo: 0418 408 683
GE Campaigner, John Hepburn   ph: (02) 9261 4666
mo: 0407 231 172
International GE Campaigner, Jim Thomas mo: 0418 415 040
For images contact: Olivia Bradley/Tim Coleph: (02) 9263 0350
email: mailto: Olivia.Bradley@au.greenpeace.org

Visit: http://www.greenpeace.org.au   www.greenpeace.org.au/truefood