Australians are eating in the dark.  The misleading labelling laws for genetically engineered (GE) products represent both a potential health risk and a failure to support our right to know what’s in our food. 

Now we’ve got an admission from the Deputy Premier and Health Minister of Western Australia, that food labelling is so inadequate, the way to avoid eating GE food is to use the Greenpeace Truefood Guide. 

What an endorsement!

Here’s what the Hon Kim Hames wrote last week to WA concerned mother, Shirley Collins, who requested information on avoiding eating GE foods:

“You also asked how an individual might avoid eating GM food given the current labelling laws.  The ‘Truefood Guide’ is an online or pocketbook shopping guide to identify GM free food . . . A search of the Truefood Guide provides information on how to choose baby foods that are GM free.” (emphasis added)

FSANZ (Food Standards Australia and New Zealand) says GE foods are already labelled.  So why does Kim Hames, who’s responsible for development and enforcement of food labelling laws in WA, refer his concerned constituents to the Truefood Guide to avoid eating GE food? 

We’ve been saying all along that GE labelling laws are false and misleading.  This is further confirmation that Australian regulators are failing consumers.  Australian supermarket shelves are packed with foods that contain GE products, but you wouldn’t know it from the label.  Until there’s independent testing, and effective labelling laws are in place, we’re all eating in the dark. 

Unless you have a Truefood Guide of course.