The Guide
Safe Food Guide v 2.0
Download the Safe Food Guide v 2.0
Pocket Safe Food Guide for pdf
Safe Food Guide – Full version
Greenpeace is offering this guide because we believe that you have the Right to Know what you are eating. While over 40 countries including Europe, Australia, New Zealand, China or Japan have opted for mandatory standards, the Indian Government is beating around the bush and not ensuring that labelling of foods containing GMOs is mandatory.
Safe Food Guide v 1.0
Download the pocket Safe food guide
Download the full version of the guide
Download a list of company statements in response to Greenpeace
Parameters used to rank companies in this guide.
Without a doubt, there are innumerable parameters to access safe and sustainable food. However, this guide will focus only on parameters related to the use of genetically engineered foods in India.
India does not currently permit any genetically modified (GM) food crop to be commercially cultivated. However this does not mean that there may be no GM food ingredients in the food produced in India. As we have seen, there have been hundreds of acres of field trials and unmonitored processed and raw grain imports into the country. Therefore, “No GM seeds being sold” is not enough to assure consumers that our food is GM free today or will be GM free in the future.
To facilitate this ardous task of identification, we at Greenpeace India contacted some of the popular food brands asked them about their policy on the use of Genetically Modified ingredients apart from their other policies on sustainable agriculture.
In this report, we have categorised companies strictly based on their responses regarding their policy on the use of Genetically Modified ingredients. Using this as a starting point, companies are listed as either Green or Red.
The Green List: Companies in this list have assured us that they do not use any genetically modified ingredients in their products. We have confirmed this mostly through written declarations from companies and emails. This list also includes progressive companies which have a declared policy not to use GM ingredients at all at any point of time and the ones which have merely stated that they are GM free at present, and have not stated their policy for future, when GM crops might be approved.
The Red List: Companies in this list may have products containing genetically modified ingredients. We have included them in the Red List after making our best efforts possible, writing to them, following up with phone calls and emails.
This list includes:
- Companies that have stated they would use genetically modified ingredients in their products.
- Companies that have responded to Greenpeace, but have mentioned nothing about their stand on using genetically modified ingredients in their foods.
- Companies that have not responded to Greenpeace for over 45 days.
* It is possible that companies that have not responded are open to using GM ingredients in their products. Consumers will be forced to believe so, unless they clarify otherwise. We alert consumers to keep a watch out for their products.
Unfortunately, due to the polluting nature of Genetically Engineered crops, some accidental contamination of non-GE crops may occur. While this guide can provide a good basis for avoiding GE food, the only guarantee is to stop the environmental release of GMOs.
It is also essential to note that while this is the first step towards identifying companies adopting a GM-free policy, there are several parameters Greenpeace will take into account in the future to ensure companies keep their promises to consumers.
Among others, these will include a no-GM policy – which means a long-term commitment to GM-free products; ensuring that that do not practice double-standards in labeling, have necessary systems to track the lines of raw materials, and monitoring systems to trace contamination.
In the future, this guide will increase its scope.
Bt Brinjal Briefing
Good news to hear that this BT. Brinjal is not safe for health. Everybody should know this fact, so that we can avoid it using in our daily home made recipes.
Even i too heard on ETV2 interview about BT. brinjal, which is not safe for health and at the same time it will effect on our traditional agricultural Brinjal varieties.
Anyhow thanks for the helpful information. I hope in future we are looking for some helpful information.
I am very happy that Bt brinjal will not be introduced in our country atleast for the time being.But we should not stop with this. We still have a long way to go so that we can help our future generations for the Hazards of these genetically modified foods.
goodwork green peace.
I dont think so, Bt is just a good protein protecting crops from insects and insecticides. Bt is harmless to humans, animals, microbes and many insects other than caterpillers. We daily eat lot of waste protein and discard it without digersting it Bt Cry protein is like waste protein for us. What about carsenogenic chemical insecticides we are eating? why we do not talk about them? We must fight for better cause such as save tigers, whales, panda, etc. Do not stop the development of India.
Appreciate your work to the core of my heart…..keep it up…!!
We need to do more….something big for our country….to save our future generation from these wretched souls…
We should oppose the proposed Bill until the field trial results come out. If GM food is harmful, compeli the government to come with a ban on their further trials. We are not against scientific developments, but we can not either support the harmful inventions to continue.
Googlel- “Agenda21″ and” Eugenics” says:
March 5, 2010 at 3:21 pm
Mr Unbiased,
How naive you are as an informed citizen when you put this statement “While GM foods have their problems, they have more benefits than problems.” Have you ever faced the hidden truth which is not released to the general public because of the interest of globalist agenda. No you can’t and masses also can’t because we are all controlled by the false media and real reports are always suppressed. We are living in “SCIENTIFIC TYRANNY” where the governments (puppets of the Globalist Banking-Military Industry Cartel) take the route of problem-solution alchemy, they create problem and then force solution which is beneficial for the globalist agenda. Now when you say GM food have their problems you have no ideas how BIG that problem is. Do you know how and why GM foods came into existence? GM came into existence because of the WARS and Globalists Profits Agenda and the agenda of Eugenics and mass extermination of human population.
After second world war the it was headache to dump millions of dollars worth of excessive chemical weapon “Nerve Gas”. So the Globalist-Military industry decided to spray it on us in the diluted form and experimented on cockroaches and other insects and reduced the effect to that level that it could kill the bugs instantly but not the humans and that gave rise to the Pesticides.
So a new industry started and the propagating that without pesticides there can no longer be excessive food growth and whole population would die starving and the biggest manufacturing company of pesticides then in USA was MONSANTO. It was a big wave in the name of Green Revolution and excessive pesticides use which did more harm to the ecology and human cancers and deaths. Excessive use also made the bugs resistant to the variety of harmful pesticides and accelerated the problem. There were big protests and then the same SCIENTISTS who then said it is ALL GOOD FOR YOU, were responsible for the gruesome act and the government had just apologies. After these incidents people started looking for natural ways which are tried and tested since human history for more than 5000 years and beyond. And found the Bacillus thuringiensis (bah-SILL-is thur-in-jee-EN-sis),commonly known as Bt, is a bacterium. Bt acts as an insecticide by producing proteins that react in the gut of some insects, paralyzing their digestive systems. The insects stop eating and quickly starve. And “volla” a natural bacterium but with some limitations because the bacteria must be eaten by the insect to be effective, good spray coverage is essential. You should avoid breathing the powder or spray when applying Bt to your plants. Bt degrades fairly quickly in sunlight, so it will not persist in your garden. Some strains persist for less than 24 hours while others remain viable for about a week.
So MONSANTO started experimentation with genes and found the strains of DNA genes that the bacteria uses to produce its toxin , then you know what happened, MR Unbiased, these SCIENTISTS of MONSANTO who are the representatives and sold their souls to the Military-Globalist-Banking cartel industry took out these toxin producing genes from that bacteria and infused these into the genome DNA of the plant so that EACH AND EVERY CELL OF THE PLANT CAN PRODUCE THIS TOXIN AUTOMATICALLY and when the bug eats ANY PART OF THE PLANT may be it a root, leaf, fruit and any cell of that plant THE BUG WILL BE KILLED. These scientists who have sold their souls know this very well and they will not ever let their families live on and eat any BT crops at all. WHY? because the bacteria toxin producing gene is present in each and every cell of your plant food and this gene is remains in the digestive track and harmful to the good gut bacteria which is necessary for human digestive system and thus leads to digestive track cancer. This is just one of the 1000 several reasons given to avoid GM in our natural food chain. It has been found that the the live stock animals those have been feed on GM crops (because these same GM crops were rejected by human population for consumption in the several European countries , American continent after BIG protests), these live stock animals showed signs of food allergies , digestive track cancer and other cancers, and most importantly signs of impotency. Cows never became pregnant when feed on BT corn crops and the whole of the dairy farming community suffered. Now imagine putting GM food on your dinning table and giving it to you own children, wife, husband, parents , brother-sisters and your friends. This is a pure case of MASS EXTERMINATION of HUMAN POPULATION by the EUGENICISTS and followers of the Military-Globalists agenda.
Again all the puppetry governments and the so called NEW WORLD GOVERNMENT is here for SCIENTIFIC TYRANNY over us and want to suppress all the real news and show BIG PROBLEMS to you “GLOBAL STARVATION” and in actual fact they create it for you. Do you know MR Unbiased, that it was the agenda of the Anglo-British empire to keep all the third world nations (Africa-Asia) starving by propagating them to produce Bio-Fuels and other cash crops on their fertile lands instead of food crops for years and still it is ongoing , and even old history of British Raj tell this that British to sabotage the fertile Indian lands propagated the cultivation of INDIGO (Neel) . So MR Unbiased always remember this that puppets governments controlled by the Globalist-Military-Banking cartel are Problem-Reaction-Solution governments, which themselves create Problems and look for the public reaction and release the solution to match their sinister agendas.
Right now the Globalist-Military Corporations have the technology to organic grow organic plants with accelerated growth without much resources needed through the use of magnetic field but they will never release that to the general public because their first agenda is to mass exterminate 90% of the human population under the disguised name of SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT-Agenda21 of United Nations. And GM food is one of the step towards the soft killing of masses and to take away the natural survival ability of the human population and God gifted way to have free seeds from the fruits. In this direction, under the pressure of Military-Globalist-Banking cartel industry, the bills are already being in process to pass in USA and Canada that NO ONE would be allowed to grow any food in their kitchen gardens at all it will be considered as illegal as growing narcotics.
Mr Unbiased you also quoted “And to others who think scientists decide for the public, well who else will? You want your local postal worker to decide what nutrition you will get?” and I have to say again you are so naïve; the organic farmer , our own Ayuerveda , your own grandma, our Vedas can tell you more truth about food nutrition and these scientists who have sold their souls.
You also quoted “Do not follow propaganda blindly ” and I have to say YES all the mainstream media around you is run by the Globalist-Military-Banking industry cartel’s money to make people blind and follow the propaganda and never get the truth.
You are also right MR Unbiased when you quote “And to the other person who thinks this bill has something to do with democratic values, when has India ever produced truly democratic bills? Democracy is only an idea that we hope for and have never been exposed to.” You are so right is saying this because NO GOVERNMENT in the world in this post 2000 era can make a bill which is against the will of their Masters.
Welcome to the NEW WORLD ORDER of scientific tyranny, where “War is Peace – Freedom is slavery and Ignorance is Strength.
Please WAKE UP SHEEPLES , enough is enough. Get out of this Matrix and see how deep the rabbit holes goes for yourself.
If you want more truth, feel free to email at sams_chat@yahoo.com
Bravo !!!!!!!!!!! MR. Googlel- “Agenda21″ and” Eugenics” ——-its quite eye opening fact
i appreciate your opinion and i totally agree with you.
excellent posting i would like to know much more.|interesting, I am going to try this out and report back.
GM food is not dangerous. greenpeace is a bunch of ignorant people. Please learn some Biology
what about the Amway products?
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Agenda21 that was the most insigtful piece I have read on the topic, I had no idea about GMs background and why its good or bad, now I feel I know somthing. Thanks for enlightenment!
Well, we need some scientific proofs to be displayed with all the ’shoulds’ and ’shouldn’ts’
Well, I hope you can make it more informative by giving us some previous scenarios of the real world. US had such conflicts in the past..
What about them?
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excellent work ,greenpeace. Your credibility has beeen enhanced.
Georgejacob
Very well written and in pretty detail. Thanks -Googlel- “Agenda21″ and” Eugenics”.
I wonder as to why people across the world are not raising the decibel and being loud in condemning the ONSLAUGHT of GM foods.
If feeding the population is the main agenda, then what is needed is increase in production of food items.
This has to be done by going horizontal and not vertical.
By going Horizontal, I mean developing and increasing the cultivable lands. Thereby increasing the production and creating mass employment.This will also lead to large scale deployment of cattle which will lead to increase in dairy products and cattle feeds and poultry farming. In essence power in the hands of humans to mold their destiny.
By going vertical, what the scientists are doing is increasing the per hectare yield and to do this they are resorting to GM seeds. This has other side effects e.g. mass scale production by select industrialists, extermination of mass employment, extermination/mass killing of human beings with new born diseases, and then create new drugs and medicines and dependence on few individuals and company’s.
The time has come for the human race to raise their voice against those few vested interests and ensure the safe and healthy human race.
We could understand the security and requirement of food, crops etc. But there are other ways to do that. Why such a strong bill is required. In our country we do not have proper supply and inspection chain of the food items, So I think It could lead to major problem. Even strong nation like USA has not fully implemented these.
Why so much hurry, while there are so many things to do…………….
Yes, lots of companies are producing GM products which are very harmful for health of human beings.
Recently its in news that farmers are using drugs that are used for lactation in mothers. The studies have found that these drugs can have very harmful effects on children and ladies in the long run.
@Sinha, How can we increase the cultivable land in this era of growing population and industratisation? and, thus people are opting for ways like GM food to increase production…
[...] Safe Food Guide [...]
The document here: http://greenpeace.in/safefood/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/Companies_Positions-and-Implications.pdf suggests that Haldiram is green.
However, this page: http://greenpeace.in/safefood/news-blog/greenpeace-releases-safe-food-guide-version-2-0/ marks it as red.
There’s a discrepancy.
Hi Subir,
the first link was from last year’s guide. The rankings have been updated for this year, based on the companies attitude towards GM, based on a set of 6 broad parameters. Some companies have improved while others have gone down in the ranking.
Hope that clarifies. For complete details you can read the guide text.
Avijit
Online Campaigns
Greenpeace India
Thanks for the prompt clarification, Avijit.
Please see this: http://www.write2kill.in/critiques/environment/306.html