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Agent Green marks Romanian GMO free restaurants to protect consumers

Thursday, September 17, 2009
Posted in Genetic Engineering | Tagged Genetic Engineering

Snack Attack is the first chain of restaurants to go GMO free.Starting today Agent Green marks the Romanian GMO free restaurants to stop the invasion of these organisms on the market by showing consumers where they can eat without exposing themselves to health risks posed by GMOs. A GMO free restaurant is one that guarantees either by laboratory analysis or on self responsibility that is not using any GMO labeled product in their food.The eurobarometers and the latest national poll in Romania shows that the vast majority of the consumers rejects categorically GMOs from their plates. Agent Green has been inviting starting August 100 of the largest romanian restaurants and restaurants chains with strategical locations to become GMO free. The first ones to respond the invitations are Sorriso, Violeta and Batistei. The first chain of 17 restaurants is Snack Attack. These 20 have already been marked in the most visible place at their entrances with stickers containing the text “Restaurant liber de OMG” (GMO free restaurant) and the visual expresing vegetables in the form of a scary skull that is placed in a plate [1]. “Altough EU’s most important agriculture countries have banned even the cultivation of GMOs, the romanian government avoids to satisfy the consumers expressed wish and gives way to GMOs to invade the fields, the shelves and the plates. We know that besides the political will, the consumers have the power

„We are loyal to quality food with carefully chosen ingredients that are as close as possible to their natural state in order to protect consumers health. We do not wish to use ingredients that are industrialy manufactured and we choose the ones that are obtained by environmentaly friendly practicies. Therefore there is no point to have GMO food in our restaurants. Everytime we buy ingredients for our food we demand our suppliers analysis reports to guarantee the absence of GMO contamination. It costs us more, but it’s worthed”, said Carmen Strugari, Production Manager, Snack Attack.

GMOs are new biological entities created in laboratories using genetic engineering techniques that forces gene transfer between different species and even different kingdoms. GMOs do not occure naturally, but once deliberately released in environment they cannot be controlled as they are living organisms free to multiply. The first GMOs has been released in the ’90s to be used in agriculture for higher yields. There are two types of marketed GMOs: herbicide tolerant and insect resistant. Up to date none of these have performed the promised yields. There are not enough studies to prove their safety, but the independent ones associate their consumption with alergies and toxicity for internal organs of the tested animals. In environment GMOs poses significant risks for soil, non-target insect species, aquatic systems and lead to increased pests resistance [2].

Agent Green is a member of GENET, the european network of 51 organizations engaged in the critical debate of GMOs [3]. The objective of „STOP invasion of GMOs” campaign is to stop the GMO expansion in Romania.

NOTES:

[1] The visual of the „GMO free restaurants” is availabe to view, download and use for free at:

http://www.agentgreen.ro/new/assets/images/OMG/liber_de_OMG_restaurant.jpg

[2] More information about GMOs and Agent Green campaign available at

http://www.agentgreen.ro/new/index.php?id=139

[3] More information about the GENET available at

http://www.genet-info.org/

SOURCE: Agent Green, Romania

AUTHOR: Press Release

URL: http://db.zs-intern.de/uploads/1253084076-20090915_pr_gmo_free_restaurants.pdf

DATE: 15.09.2009

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