Has GM's time finally come? Extreme weather caused massive crop damage this year. Some European farmers think GM could be the answer. But is the UK consumer ready to embrace 'Frankenfoods'

Grocer, Oct 27, 2007 by Nic Paton

Genetically modified foods have sparked much controversy in the UK over the past decade. Trial crops of GM potatoes have been destroyed by activists as recently as this year and the major supermarkets have long shunned the so-called 'Frankenfoods' fearing consumer backlash.

Yet, in the wake of the crop damage caused by this year's extreme weather, GM crops are being touted as a possible salvation. Less susceptible to bad weather and disease than their 'normal' counterparts, they are already being planted in their thousands across Europe.

But what about here? Will UK farmers follow suit? And, more importantly, is the great British public ready for GM? Will what was once antipathy and is now arguably apathy turn into acceptance?

The US remains the biggest market for GM. But in Europe, the amount of farmland devoted to GM crops will reach 100,000 hectares for the first time this year. Spain will account for most of this, but they are also being grown in Germany and France and the market is expected to grow exponentially.

"Two years ago France planted 500 hectares of GM crops," says Little. "Last year it was 5,000. This year it will be 20,000. They are also being planted in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria and Portugal, although not in massive amounts."

The UK government is in favour of further exploring the potential for GM and says there could be some commercial cultivation of GM crops as early as 2009. "The sensible approach is to consider GM crops on a case-by-case basis, provided the evidence shows they are safe for human health and the environment," Defra secretary of state Hilary Benn has told The Grocer. "Ultimately it will be for farmers and consumers to decide whether they want GM products."

Late last year, chemicals manufacturer BASF was given permission by the government to plant blight-resistant GM potatoes at two trial sites in England. This has not been without incident and only one trial, in Cambridge, has so far been successful (see over).

Chris Wilson, corporate communications manager at BASE acknowledges the problems that it has had with protestors but says that their actions do not reflect the general public's feelings towards GM.

Consumers are becoming more open-minded, he believes. "We're not saying there is overwhelming support for GM but we think there is a fairly large share of people out there willing to try it," he says.

Consumer attitudes towards GM could be shifting, suggests data from the Food Standards Agency. Its study in February found that just 4% of shoppers looked for information about GM on labels and only 3% spontaneously said they were concerned about GM ingredients in foods.

New figures from TNS show that only 3% of consumers are particularly concerned about GM, down from 11% in 1999. Of far more concern are issues such as global warming and bird flu, cited by 38% and 11% of respondents respectively.

Others are less convinced. With the national press always ready to stoke people's fears about Frankenfoods, demand remains pretty low, says an Asda spokesman.

"The feeling is that consumers have not really moved on from where they were two or three years ago," he says. "There are still concerns. Until we have people demanding it, saying they want it, it is just not going to be an issue for us."

It's much the same line from the British Retail Consortium. "All the indications we have are that consumers are not yet prepared to purchase products with GM components within them. Unless a majority of consumers are content to consume GM ingredients, then it is not going to happen," says a spokesman.

That said, many may be consuming GM foods without realising it. In the UK a handful of GM foods have been approved for use--soya, tomato purge and some forms of maize--and, despite the UK retailers' stance against GM, products that contain these ingredients can and are being bought in UK supermarkets.

"Most supermarkets already sell some foods with GM ingredients in them," says Dr Julian Little, chairman of the Agricultural Biotechnology Council. "What the supermarkets talk about is just their own label products, so they are muddying the waters. The reality is GM products are around and people are buying them and do not appear to be keeling over as a result."

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Products that contain GM derivatives sold in the UK include Schwartz Bacon Flavour Bits Soya Pieces, which includes ingredients manufactured from GM soya and corn and which is sold in Sainsbury's, and a vegetarian sushi sold in Waitrose, which includes Inari made from GM soya. Some vegetable oils that use GM soya are also available on the market, says Little.

What is often forgotten, says Wilson, is that the biotech industry does not need a sudden about-face by consumers to get a return on its investment. It works to long timescales--the blight-resistant potato is unlikely to be on the market for another decade for instance--so even if the arguments are only won gradually it will be good enough.

Those who are pro-GM believe that public opinion may be close to tipping point in favour of GM. However, such claims are dismissed as mere sabre-rattling by the anti-GM lobby. "The idea that anything has changed is rubbish. You get a flourish of hype from the GM industry pretty regularly," says Lord Peter Melchett, policy director of the Soil Association.