I just read an alarming blurb in VegNews (June 2007, Page 20) that Unilver, the largest supplier of frozen desserts to the US (and parent company to Ben & Jerry's, Breyer's, Klondike, and Popsicle brands), has started using "ice structuring antifreeze" proteins from genetically modified FISH in some of their products. They synthesize the GMO compound from yeast that comes from the blood of ocean pout to prevent "the crystallization of ice cream when it melts and is refrozen."
In April 2006, two professors from the British Institute of Science in Society (ISIS), Prof. Joe Cummins, Dr. Mae-Wan Ho and Prof. Malcolm Hooper, wrote a report they submitted to the UK Food Standards Agency, opposing Unilever's application to use these GMO fish genes in their food products. Apparently, there are health risks associated with ingestion of these products, including allergic reactions and inflammation. The scientists strongly recommended extensive testing before allowing these modified fish genes into the food chain.
In April 2007, these same authors submitted another article and reported that the UK Independent Science Panel had recommended not allowing the introduction of food products containing these modified fish genes into the UK until long-term studies are conducted.
Unfortunately, we're not lucky enough in the US to have government agencies that look out for consumers, since their bread and butter comes from industry. (Check out this Food & Drug Administration's response letter from 2003 to a Unilever subsidiary.) Given the industry's fairly successful lobbying efforts, GMO foods have been declared in the US to be basically no different than other foods, so there's generally no need to test or label food items that contain GMO's. (In fact, there's an incidious industry movement afoot to make it illegal to label foods as containing or not containing GMOs because they're the "same" as non-GMO foods.) If you and your kids eat ice cream (as mine do in alarmingly large quantities), the only way to be certain that you're not also eating this fish GMO is to eat only organic (Strauss is terrific) or vegan (So Delicious, Tofutti).
For a list of some other genetic modifications of marine life, check out this University of Minnesota Brief. For a 1999 article published in the American Chemical Society (Chemtech) about how incorporating antifreeze proteins (AFP's as they're known in the industry) can boost business opportunities, check out this article (not surprisingly, funded largely by A/F Protein Inc). For more information on GMO fish, check out the Union of Concerned Scientists article on GMO salmon.
To moniter efforts to require labeling of GMO food products in the US, check out this site! Wikipedia also had a nice summary of the US, European and international standards on labeling GMO foods.
* Sustainability
* dairy
* fish
* genetically modified food
* ice cream
* 39 reads
Comments
May 29, 2007 - 6:39pm — Mary
Ben & Jerry's GMO AND rBGH Free!!!!
Good news everyone! Ben & Jerry's uses neither GMO ingredients or milk from cows treated with the rBGH growth hormone. So eat up and enjoy! Now all you have to worry about it the sugar! They emailed me back right away with the following comment: "The ice structuring protein that other Unilever ice cream companies use in their products is an example of where Ben & Jerry's stands apart from our parent company. Ben & Jerry's does not believe in using any sort of GMO ingredients or other things such as milk from cows that have been treated with rBGH in our products. We're hoping that we can continue to influence the way Unilever conducts its business in terms of the technology it uses in producing it's products. In all products where the antifreeze gene is used it will be listed as "ice structuring protein" on the ingredient label."
May 21, 2007 - 8:44pm — Bethany Richardson
No GMO
This is very alarming. It is easy to feel overwhelmed with the enormousness of the food indrusty and all there lobbying power, but we must get out there and spread the inform our family and friends. Eventually we will hit a tipping point. And does this mean Ben and Jerry's has GM products in them since Unilver is the parent company? I hope not for the delight of all tasted buds in summer and the wonders of B& J ice creams.
May 26, 2007 - 3:30pm — Mary
Ben & Jerry's
I checked on the Ben & Jerry's website and confirmed that Unilever indeed is their parent company. They have published FAQs where they post questions from consumers. The only response (http://benjerry.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/benjerry.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_sid=Kdk3iyCi&p_lva=&p_faqid=131&p_created=953789491&p_sp=cF9zcmNoPTEmcF9ncmlkc29ydD0mcF9yb3dfY250PTEmcF9zZWFyY2hfdGV4dD0gZ21vJnBfc2VhcmNoX3R5cGU9MyZwX2NhdF9sdmwxPX5hbnl_JnBfc29ydF9ieT1kZmx0JnBfcGFnZT0x&p_li=) on GMO's I found stated pretty much (in a carefully drafted response) that the products THEY EXPORT technically meet the requirements for GMO-free as required by international standards. They said that they could not assure that their domestic products did not contain GMOs. I'm posting a question to them specifically on the Pout antifreeze gene issue and will get back in a response as soon as I hear from them. Considering that Unilever is steadfastly pushing for acceptance of the GMOs, however, I'm betting they use it.
May 21, 2007 - 5:03pm — Beth
Great post
Wow, this is very alarming. Thanks for doing all this research and sharing the info. It's great to know, especially considering the fact that I am an avid ice cream eater :)
