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Tests carried out by the Portuguese No GMO Coalition in cooperation with the Detox Project (detoxproject.org) revealed staggering levels of glyphosate more commonly known as Roundup, the most used synthetic chemical pesticide in Portuguese agriculture – and, up to now, the most neglected. It has been over ten years since any official testing for the presence

of glyphosate in food, soil, water, air or people was conducted in the country.

Del Monte, Nestlé, and Dannon join a growing list of major food companies to ditch genetically modified ingredients

Del Monte Foods, Nestlé, and Dannon recently became the latest major food companies to replace genetically modified ingredients with non-GMO alternatives. Del Monte, one of the nation’s largest producers of branded food products, announced plans for an increase in non-GMO product offerings and conversion to non-BPA packaging. Nestlé Dreyer’s Ice Cream, the largest ice cream maker in the world, announced that it would remove GMO ingredients, high fructose corn syrup, and artificial colors and flavors in its ice cream products, including Dreyer’s, Häagen-Dazs®, Outshine®, Skinny Cow®, Nestlé® Ice Cream and Nestlé® Drumstick®. Dannon, the U.S.’s leading yogurt maker, pledged to using more non-GMO ingredients in its products, transitioning to non-GMO feed for its dairy cows, and labeling products containing GMO ingredients.

In a move that demonstrates a major shift in the nation’s food supply, Nestlé Dreyer’s Ice Cream, the largest ice cream maker in the world, announced yesterday that it would be removing artificial colors and flavors, high fructose corn syrup, and genetically modified ingredients from its line of more than 100 ice cream products. It’s also switching to rBST-free milk.

Brands affected by this change include Nestlé Dreyer’s bestsellers Edy’s®1, Häagen-Dazs®, Outshine®, Skinny Cow®, Nestlé® Ice Cream, and Nestlé® Drumstick®. The newly reformulated products have already begun appearing in stores across the country.

“Nestlé Dreyer’s Ice Cream understands that consumers want to know what’s in their food, where those ingredients come from and how the food products they purchase are made,” Robert Kilmer, president, Nestlé Dreyer’s Ice Cream, said in a statement. “We are the industry leader when it comes to innovation and, as consumer demand centers on transparency and choice, we are responding with new ways to make ice cream even better. Using simpler ingredients that our consumers can recognize, and removing those that don’t belong, is a natural next step for our brands.”

Sales of GMO-free products in Italy have seen double digit growth in 2015, making it the most dynamic segment of the otherwise stagnant food retail sector.

Sales of gluten-free products were also up 50 per cent, while Italians bought 20 per cent more organic food last year.

According to Italian farmers’ association Coldiretti, these figures are due consumers giving increased the attention to wellness, fitness and health, as well as the growing prevalence of food intolerances.

It also found that 70 per cent of Italians are willing to pay more for "fully natural" food, while 65 per cent would pay more for guaranteed GMO-free food, and 62 per cent would pay a premium for organic products.

Information about Australia is updated.

Information about GMO-free Labeling in Germany is updated.

Information about Switzerland is updated.

Information about Albania is updated.

Expert opinion proves systematic misinterpretation of glyphosate studies

The Munich Environmental Institute (Umweltinstitut München) and Pesticide Action Network (PAN) Germany join PAN Europe and 5 EU environmental organisations in their legal proceedings against those responsible for the assessment of glyphosate in Europe[1] (Monsanto, German government institute –BfR - and European Food Safety Authority-EFSA).

The EU environmental organizations, in an initiative taken by Global 2000 Austria file new evidence to the state attorney in Berlin today showing that the responsible institutions misinterpreted research studies during the assessment procedure in order to conceal the carcinogenic risks associated with glyphosate and facilitate its re-approval.

The European Parliament this week (13 April) approved a seven-year extension to the authorisation of the chemical glyphosate, a suspected carcinogen present in many domestic and agricultural pesticides, notably Monsanto’s Roundup. EurActiv France reports.

MEPs gave the go-ahead to the re-authorisation of glyphosate, but asked the European Commission to reduce the period to seven years, from the usual 15.

This is a defeat for France, which had hoped for a complete ban.

In their non-binding resolution, which passed by 374 votes to 225, with 104 abstentions, MEPs also approved a number of restrictive measures, including a ban on the sale of the chemical for use in domestic gardens and public parks.

Angélique Delahaye, a French MEP and rapporteur on the file for the European People’s Party (EPP) grouping in Parliament, said there were economic reasons to continue authorising glyphosate, despite health and environmental worries.

“The debate on glyphosate raises concerns among citizens, that’s obvious,” she said in a statement. But she recalled that farmers are “largely dependent” on the weedkiller and should be allowed to continue using it until an alternative is found.