Inghams warned over GM-free claims

Ingham's warned over chicken ads

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The Commerce Commission has warned poultry producer Inghams Enterprises it risked breaching the Fair Trading Act with claims that its chickens contained no genetically modified (GM) ingredients.

The commission said today it had completed an investigation into allegations that claims made in consumer and trade magazines and on television between January 2008 and June 2009 were false or misleading under the Fair Trading Act.

In the advertising, Inghams stated that its chicken products contained "No ... GM ingredients" and "have no added hormones, GM ingredients or artificial colours" when the chickens had been fed soya feed which comprised 13 per cent genetically modified soy.

It stopped the advertising while the commission investigated.

The commission engaged Jack Heinemann, professor of genetics and molecular biology at Canterbury University, to investigate whether animals exposed to feed containing genetically modified material in fact contain "no GM ingredients".

Prof Heinemann said his review showed there could be a residual difference in animals or animal-products as a result of exposure to GM feed.

- NZPA