Nestle strongly reaffirms its view that genetically modified organisms (GMOs) or ingredients derived from them do not constitute a health risk, provided they have passed strict scientific evaluation, and are therefore found to be as safe as their traditional counterpart.

The company said this following recently published Greenpeace statements charging Nestle with supporting the use of GMOs in food production. Greenpeace's charges came after its representatives from Thailand, Philippines, Argentina and Switzerland met with Nestle at the World Food Company's headquarters in Switzerland. In the meeting, Nestle confirmed its global position that there are no food safety or quality considerations that would justify a worldwide corporate decision to avoid using GM crops in food production. Nestle said the safety of its products and the integrity of the ingredients from which they are manufactured are paramount. "Genetically modified crops, as all raw materials used by Nestle, comply with strict regulatory and safety evaluations. Nestle concurs with the shared opinion of the World Health Organization (WHO), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and numerous other independent scientific bodies that genetically modified crops, including ingredients derived from them, that have passed food safety evaluation procedures, are as safe for use in food production as their traditional counterparts."

Nestle further said that as a research and innovation-based company, it cannot accept a general rejection of a new and promising technology without any scientific evidence supporting such a rejection, which to date none of the critics have been able to produce. For more than 130 years now, Nestle has developed products that provide wellness and nutrition by successfully applying scientific breakthroughs and technological innovations while upholding the quality and safety of its products.

The company recognizes the potential of gene technology in the longer term to improve the quality, availability and nutritional value of food. According to Nestle, gene technology has the potential to increase food production and support sustainable agricultural practices. "For these reasons, Nestle supports a responsible application of gene technology for food production based on sound scientific research," the statement said.

Nestle regrets that a worldwide organization like Greenpeace refuses to give gene technology a chance despite the recent admission by two of its scientists, Mssrs. Bertrand Rebelle and Doug Parr, that GM crops currently in the market do not raise safety concerns. During a public debate on February 4 and 5 this year, Greenpeace France president Bertrand Rebelle said, "We don't have any fear for the safety of GMOs, but we are convinced it is not good for society."

In an interview with BBC on January 31, 2002, on the other hand, Greenpeace chief scientist Doug Parr said, "It has never been Greenpeace's contention that every GM crop and every GM food is going to be dangerous. that just because one GM food has turned out to be safe doesn't mean the next one will be..."

On the Greenpeace allegation that Nestle applies double standards by using GMO-derived ingredients in developing countries and avoiding their use in developed ones, Nestle cited its biggest market, North America, where GM ingredients have been used since 1996. "GMO-derived ingredients used in North America are proven to be as safe for consumption as their traditional counterparts. These ingredients meet the Nestle standard for food safety and quality, which is the same throughout the world."

As a responsible corporate citizen, Nestle said it complies with government rules and regulations on the use of gene technology, wherever it operates.

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