Was your takeaway cooked using GM oil?

It is illegal for caterers to use GM ingredients unless they are clearly labelled on their menus or displayed on a prominent notice, despite this 66% of the cafes; restaurants, takeaways and pubs visited by Surrey Trading Standards Officers were using GM oil in their cooking without letting their customers know. In many cases businesses were not aware of the rules and many unaware of the GM content themselves. Officers visited 56 catering establishments in the county to determine the extent to which GM ingredients are being used to prepare meals - and whether those ingredients are being declared to customers. Thirty-seven (66%) of the businesses visited were using vegetable oil produced from genetically modified Soya, but none appeared to be aware of the rules on GM labelling. David Harmer, Surrey County Council's Executive Member for Environment, said: "Consumers have a right to make an informed choice on the type of food they eat, whether it be GM or non-GM. Caterers need to declare if their foods contain GM ingredients" Peter Denard, Trading Standards Manager, said: "Following these results we are sending GM labelling advice to caterers in Surrey, and are also looking at ways in which the suppliers of the cooking oils could make their customers more aware of the rules on GM labelling." If anyone has concerns about the labelling of food they have bought they should contact the Food Team at Surrey County Council on 01372 371799.