German Food Companies Say No to Genetically Modified Potatoes

According to the results of a survey released this month by the German branch of the environmental organization Greenpeace, a number of snacks and fast food giants including Burger King, McDonald's, German seafood chain Nordsee and chipmaker Lorenz Snack-World have all said they would not use GM potatoes -- at least for the time being. A number said they feared their companies' public images would be damaged, and some said use of GM potatoes would drive up quality control costs.

Eight of the 10 food companies polled by Greenpeace, however, indicated that they don't plan to use GM potatoes in the future, and half of the companies said that they were against the cultivation of GM potatoes for human consumption.   Results Greenpeace inquiry (in German)

Also, the German Association of the Fruit, Vegetable and Potato Processing Industry (BOGK) sees no necessity to authorize the GM potato Fortuna (BASF) because consumers aren't ready to "accept genetically modified products in either food or (animal) feed."

Related PotatoPro Newsletter: The History and Future of GM Potatoes