Tesco GM rice removed from the shelves landed Tesco Poland stores?
Polish Agri-Environmental Initiative | 23.11.2006 16:26 | Bio-technology | Ecology | Health | London | World
According to Polish Chief Health Inspectorate GM rice of variety LL601 was
found in 6% (3 out of 48) of samples taken in the stores of three regions of
Poland: Pomerania, West Pomerania and Lower Silesia. The contaminated rice
came to Poland from US via France.
According to the spokeperson of Regional Health Inspectorate of Lower
Silesia- Elzbieta Peszko-Bilska rice of variety LL601 was found in the
supermarket chains Tesco and Auchan in this region. Polish authorities hasn't
found LL601 rice in Warsaw region although Greenpeace Poland testing done in
Germany of long rice showed three products contaminated: "Bosto"(Ebro
Puleva), "Britta" and "Halina".
found in 6% (3 out of 48) of samples taken in the stores of three regions of
Poland: Pomerania, West Pomerania and Lower Silesia. The contaminated rice
came to Poland from US via France.
According to the spokeperson of Regional Health Inspectorate of Lower
Silesia- Elzbieta Peszko-Bilska rice of variety LL601 was found in the
supermarket chains Tesco and Auchan in this region. Polish authorities hasn't
found LL601 rice in Warsaw region although Greenpeace Poland testing done in
Germany of long rice showed three products contaminated: "Bosto"(Ebro
Puleva), "Britta" and "Halina".
According to Polish Chief Health Inspectorate GM rice of variety LL601 was
found in 6% (3 out of 48) of samples taken in the stores of three regions of
Poland: Pomerania, West Pomerania and Lower Silesia. The contaminated rice
came to Poland from US via France.
According to the spokeperson of Regional Health Inspectorate of Lower
Silesia- Elzbieta Peszko-Bilska rice of variety LL601 was found in the
supermarket chains Tesco and Auchan in this region. Polish authorities hasn't
found LL601 rice in Warsaw region although Greenpeace Poland testing done in
Germany of long rice showed three products contaminated: "Bosto"(Ebro
Puleva), "Britta" and "Halina".
The investigation of one of Polish main TV channels found that in one of the
Tesco stores there is an extremely cheap long rice on sale (55 eurocents per
kilo), in small plastic bags without any label (none of brand name,
producer, expiration date, country of origin etc.) which is there for last
two months.
According to cashiers this particular item is not registered in the
computer system of Tesco only on special written lists.
Polish authorities refused to give names of contaminated products, their
producers or even the stores where samples were taken.
All this situation creates fears that the rice affected removed from the
shelves of the stores in Western Europe ended in the shelves of the same
companies in countries like Poland.
Tesco Poland asked by Greenpeace about GM rice answered in writing that
Tesco's own name rice is GMO free and refused to answer similar question
concerning other producers on Tesco shelves.
Ebro Puleva (in Poland using name "Bosto") wrote to Greenpeace Poland: "our
rice is absolutely free of genetical modification" even though German
laboratories found out that Bosto rice IS actually contaminated with LL601.
found in 6% (3 out of 48) of samples taken in the stores of three regions of
Poland: Pomerania, West Pomerania and Lower Silesia. The contaminated rice
came to Poland from US via France.
According to the spokeperson of Regional Health Inspectorate of Lower
Silesia- Elzbieta Peszko-Bilska rice of variety LL601 was found in the
supermarket chains Tesco and Auchan in this region. Polish authorities hasn't
found LL601 rice in Warsaw region although Greenpeace Poland testing done in
Germany of long rice showed three products contaminated: "Bosto"(Ebro
Puleva), "Britta" and "Halina".
The investigation of one of Polish main TV channels found that in one of the
Tesco stores there is an extremely cheap long rice on sale (55 eurocents per
kilo), in small plastic bags without any label (none of brand name,
producer, expiration date, country of origin etc.) which is there for last
two months.
According to cashiers this particular item is not registered in the
computer system of Tesco only on special written lists.
Polish authorities refused to give names of contaminated products, their
producers or even the stores where samples were taken.
All this situation creates fears that the rice affected removed from the
shelves of the stores in Western Europe ended in the shelves of the same
companies in countries like Poland.
Tesco Poland asked by Greenpeace about GM rice answered in writing that
Tesco's own name rice is GMO free and refused to answer similar question
concerning other producers on Tesco shelves.
Ebro Puleva (in Poland using name "Bosto") wrote to Greenpeace Poland: "our
rice is absolutely free of genetical modification" even though German
laboratories found out that Bosto rice IS actually contaminated with LL601.
Polish Agri-Environmental Initiative
e-mail:
animalinst@poczta.onet.pl
Homepage:
http://www.zielonapolska.org.pl
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Is Tesco knowingly selling GM contaminated rice in Poland?
09.12.2006 14:13
To Chief Executive Officer
Tesco plc
6th December 2006
Dear Mr Leahy,
We have recently picked up on some very worrying information from
contacts in Poland. As you will see from the web report below, rice
contaminated with LL601 has been discovered in Tesco stores in
Poland, with suspicion falling on three brands: "Bosto"(Ebro
Puleva), "Britta" and "Halina". We trust that you have removed and
destroyed all suspect packages from your Polish branches, and we will
be grateful for reassurance on this point.
Of much greater concern is the TV report of an extremely cheap long
grain rice on sale (55 eurocents per kilo), in small plastic bags
without any label. Apparently these bags have no brand name,
producer information, "sell by" date, country of origin or codes.
Our reports are that this rice first appeared on sale around mid-
September, around the time that products were being taken off shelves
in various EC countries. Check-out staff confirm that this particular
item is not registered in the Tesco computer system but is contained
only on a written list.
It is entirely natural that Greenpeace and other watchdog groups
should assume that this rice is contaminated rice removed from sale
(possibly in your German branches if not actually in Poland), re-
packaged and effectively re-cycled back into your Polish stores. Why
otherwise would this rice be sold at such an absurdly low price, with
no product information on the packets? This would of course be
entirely illegal. You have not exactly helped by stating that your
"own brand" rice is GM-free but refusing to give similar assurances
for other long-grain rice products on sale.
Either Tesco is knowingly selling contaminated rice illegally in
Poland, or is adopting a "don't look -- don't find" policy as
advocated by FSA in the UK. Either way, it does you no great credit.
We plan to take this story to the media, but first we would like to
ask you to give us a categorical assurance that the unmarked long-
grain rice in your Polish stores has been tested for LL601
contamination, to full EC standards, and has been found to be clear.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely
Dr Brian john
GM Free Cymru
Marek Kryda