Brazil orders Nestlé to label GM products

By Rod Addy

- Last updated on GMT

Related tags Brazil

Brazil orders Nestlé to label GM products
A court in Brazil has ordered Nestlé to impose mandatory labelling for all its products in the country highlighting more than 1% genetically modified (GM) ingredients.

The move overturned a joint initiative by food industry trade body ABIA and the Brazilian government to battle current GM labelling rules.

The Sao Paolo court also ordered the international food manufacturer to pay R5,000 (€1,996) per product found on the market that contravened the order.

The case was brought after an analysis had found GM ingredients in the composition of Nestlé’s strawberry flavour Bono cookies. More than half the soybeans used in manufacturing the biscuit were found to be GM in nature, but the packaging failed to mention this fact, a civil investigation found.

Lack of information

This lack of information contravened Article 31 of Brazil’s Consumer Protection Code, which addresses consumer information.

In his ruling, Judge James Ducatti Lino Machado, of the 39th Central Civil Court, said: "The prosecutor's action does not produce any interference with the production of the indictee (Nestlé)."

The regional federal court of the 1st Region tried this case. In a statement based on its decision, the court said: "Lower percentage does not eliminate the right to know for the consumer.”

Nestlé had not provided a response to the development prior to FoodNavigator being published. 

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6 comments

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America..what are Americans eating?

Posted by mgcorsaro,

Obviously there's a need to hide from us the crap that is put in and done to our food. The way the big corporate farms treat the animals..it's dispicable..What happened to laws? Our food used to be labled and had to show if it was GMO and all ingredients had to be on the label. It's becoming a world society and American's are treated like crap now. We're losing everything our founders worked so hard for. We need to stand up and fight..and very soon.

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Bravo Brazil!!!

Posted by james cunningham,

If only the Northern Americans had your intelligence and conviction!!

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Hurrah for Brazil!

Posted by Jennifer Christiano,

This is terrific news! Apparently, the Brazilian government has more concern for the welfare of its consumers than the U.S. government does. Let's see if Nestle complies. If so, that's a clear repudiation of the bogus argument that food companies can't label GE foods because it would be "too expensive" or "too difficult" to do so.
Nothing is ever too difficult when either there is a substantial profit to be had, or a substantial profit to be lost of the offender does NOT comply! It's all a mater of legal and political will.

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