Recall your baby food: Greenpeace to Novartis

Reuters, Manila

Environmental group Greenpeace on Friday urged Swiss healthcare group Novartis AG to withdraw baby food being sold in the Philippines which contained genetically modified soy.

Greenpeace South East Asia campaign manager Von Hernandez issued the call after Novartis confirmed allegations from the environmental group that samples of baby food it sold in the Philippines contained genetically modified soy.

"As a precautionary measure, we are asking Novartis to voluntarily pull out its stocks suspected of being contaminated with GMO. They did an investigation and we presume that they know the batches containing GMOs," Hernandez told Reuters by phone.

In a letter to Greenpeace released in Zurich on Thursday, Novartis said some samples of baby food it sold in the Philippines contained genetically altered soy.

It stressed the products were safe but added that it was seeking a new supplier.

"The ingredients used in all Novartis Consumer Health infant and baby nutrition products worldwide are all of the highest quality and are processed in accordance with the strict safety guidelines set out by institutions such as the Bureau of Foods and Drugs, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration and the World Health Organization," it said in a statement issued in Manila on Friday.

Greenpeace activists had lined up dozens of plastic baby dolls outside Novartis headquarters in Basel in August to draw attention to allegations that genetically modified products had made their way into baby food made by Novartis unit Gerber.

Novartis has traced its decision to eschew so-called GMOs to consumer preferences rather than any food safety concerns.

Companies have been developing genetically modified crops to fight pests and plant diseases, but some consumers have bulked at eating them for fear they could lead to health problems.

"We welcome the company's quick and responsible action to remove GMOs from their products sold in the Philippines," Greenpeace genetic engineering campaigner Beau Baconguis said in a statement.

"Novartis/Gerber must now ensure that similar episodes of contamination are not repeated in the future and in other places, particularly in the developing world. The company must observe its global commitment to go GMO-free in rich or poor countries alike."