Tesco has dropped its 11-year commitment not to sell poultry reared on genetically modified feed.
The original controls were put in place to reflect the concerns of shoppers, who question the impact of GM crops on human health and the countryside.
Tesco’s announcement came from group technical director, Tim Smith.
Mr Smith wrote on the Tesco website: ‘Over recent weeks UK poultry and egg suppliers have been telling retailers that it is increasingly difficult for them to guarantee that the feed they use is entirely GM-free, for two reasons. First, soya is the best source of protein to feed livestock.
‘And as soya producers are increasingly turning to GM soya, it means they are producing less non-GM soya, so there simply isn’t enough non-GM feed available. We could not continue with a promise we cannot be sure it is possible to keep and we want to be up-front about the changes we are making.’
Morrisons and Asda have already dropped their own bans on GM feed. Marks & Spencer and Sainsbury’s are still refusing to use GM for their chickens.
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