customer.care@iceland.co.uk http://www.sunday- times.co.uk/news/pages/sti/99/10/24/stinwenws01023.html?999 Major UK Grocery Chain Bans Aspartame Over Brain Tumor Concerns By Dominic Rushe The Sunday Times (London) http://www.sunday-times.co.uk 10-25-99 ICELAND, the grocer, will announce this week that it is banning aspartame, the artificial sweetener better known as NutraSweet, from its own-label foods. The move follows growing concern among consumers about a possible link between the sweetener and brain tumours. Aspartame is consumed by 250m people worldwide and has been used in low-calorie food and drinks such as Diet Coke for 20 years. But in recent years there have been increasing fears about possible health risks. The compound has been linked to multiple sclerosis and even Gulf war syndrome. These worries, spread on the internet, are hotly disputed by NutraSweet's owner, Monsanto, the GM (genetically modified) food giant. Iceland will become the first national grocers' chain to impose a ban and the move will be closely watched by its larger rivals. Iceland is trying to reposition itself as a "green" grocer and has already banned other artificial colours and flavourings from its own goods. Malcolm Walker, Iceland's chairman, was the first grocer to ban GM foods and coined the term "Frankenstein foods". The move will spark a full- scale row between the grocery chain and Monsanto. A NutraSweet spokeswoman said: "Iceland is spreading alarm when it should be reassuring customers. The web has become a real problem [and ] there is a lot of misinformation about." An Iceland executive said that the company will tell staff tomorrow that it will no longer supply food with aspartame under its own label and will be switching to other artificial sweeteners. The company will continue to sell branded products that contain NutraSweet such as Diet Coke. The grocer's executives recently held talks with the International Sweeteners Association, which represents the multi-billion-pound industry. But despite being given assurances that NutraSweet was perfectly safe, Iceland decided to impose a ban. King's College, London, is conducting a three-year study to establish whether there is a link between aspartame and brain tumours. Reports in America have found conflicting evidence of a link. There, 20 billion cans of soft drink are consumed each year, most containing NutraSweet. Bill Wadsworth, Iceland's technical director,said a full-scale ban was being considered. "We are taking the matter seriously because of the weight of customer pressure we are coming under." Monsanto is in the process of selling its sweetener division. Protests from consumers and environmental groups in Europe - many debating the issue on the internet - have hurt the company's growth prospects and its stock market value has plummeted. Wadsworth said: "Clearly the internet is playing a major role bringing this debate to public attention." ************* http://www.iceland.co.uk/ext_11/web/market.nsf/(websearch)/wugm ?OpenDocument As pioneers in the food retail industry Iceland were the world's first to ban GM ingredients in our own label range in May 1998. And the reason we took the lead when all others were dithering? Because customers told us they didn't want GM. We started out with a relatively simple aim - to give customers a choice. In fact, when we set out to achieve this we were often told that this was impossible and we'd have to change the world. Back in 1998, we removed GM ingredients from our Own Label Food, which was not an easy task as at the time we were the only retailer to take this stance. When we first contacted our suppliers we came up against many hostile comments for example "you're asking the impossible!" and "how much is that going to cost!". However, once we clearly communicated our policy and reasoning for why we wanted to remove GM, things became a little easier. Our Technical Manager, Bill Wadsworth, has travelled all over the world during the past two years. He has visited Brazil, Yugoslavia, America and Canada to research raw ingredients and to take part in many conferences and debates - even doing interviews for Japanese and Asian TV. This has led to a wide network of contacts which we've compiled and passed onto our Own Label suppliers. The result, we became the first in the world to set up, Identity Preserved (IP), to make sure GM crops are kept separate. Now, we're planning to take our commitment a step further. We're working hard to take genetically modified ingredients a step further. We're working hard to take genetically modified ingredients from the feed that we give to our livestock. We're already selling some products in our stores, such as chicken fillets, which come from chicken reared on a non-GM diet. But we want to do this across all our range without you having to fork out any more money, so we won't be charging you a premium to eat good quality food. We don't think the size of your pay packet should dictate the quality of what you eat. So what is genetic modification and is it safe? Unlike normal methods of reproduction, genetic modification works by cutting, joining and transferring genes between totally unrelated living things resulting in a genetic combination which would never have occurred naturally. For example, tomatoes can be crossed with a gene from an arctic fish to make them frost resistant and Soya beans can be joined with a bacteria to make them resistant to herbicides so farmers don't have to use so much. But as far as safety is concerned, we just don't know. In the medical world, there are stringent controls on how genetic modification is put into practice. However those same restrictions don't apply in the food industry. Those in the biotech business say it's safe and that genetic modification will produce more food, reduce waste, improve flavour and allow us to keep products for longer. But, on the other hand many professionals independent observers think that genetic engineering is unpredictable, unstable and dangerous. However, nobody knows and we, like our customers, don't think its worth taking risks. As far as we're concerned GM is guilty until proven innocent. We're also worried that once GM material is released into nature, nobody can stop it breeding with bacteria and plants in the wild which could lead to "superweeds" (which are resistant to weedkillers) and possibly antibiotic resistant "superbacteria". We're also worried that genetically modified plants could drive out natural species, threatening the habitats of wild animals and birds. But most of all what's most worrying is that there isn't any way of taking GM out of the environment once it's there. Genetic pollution can't be cleared up. At the moment there are no GM crops grown commercially in this country and we don't think that they should until we know what impact they're going to have. None of our own label products contain any GM ingredients, or any derivatives and we're glad that our competitors are now following our lead. We're also pleased to say that, thanks to our efforts, the approval process for foods has been improved by the government. The three top questions customers ask about GM What is modified starch? Modified Starch (often from potato or maize) is used in many foods e.g. pizza and soups as a thickening agent or to make ingredients suitable for freezing. The starches treated by heating, and is NOT GENETICALLY MODIFIED in any way. Why is Iceland's bread not labelled? Some foods contain soya and maize yet don't carry the blue logo. ALL own label foods contain no GM ingredients, in the near future all own label packaging will carry the logo, sorry we just haven't got round to it yet ! What is Lecithin? This is derived from soya and is used in products, such as, chocolate to mix ingredients together. Our suppliers include sites in Brazil and Canada and they are non GM. The top 5 questions the media ask about GM Has this been a commercially successful policy? Yes. Our own business has grown considerably since we announced our own ban on GM foods. In fact the share price has almost quadrupled. Of course we have done quite a few other things in the business which would also account for this, and because the ban wasn't originally introduced for commercial reasons we didn't set up any procedures for measuring the effect so we can't say exactly what effect it has had. However, from customers reaction, it is clear that the GM ban has had a significant factor in the growth of our business. Surely this is just a PR exercise? Not at all. What you have to remember is that while GM is extremely topical now there is great concern voiced about it, particularly in the media. When we announced our intentions very little was known so it was a high risk stance to take. In fact, at the time, we were mocked in one publication as being "Canute-like", trying to hold back the tide of progress and many in the food industry said what we were trying to do was impossible. How have customers reacted? Extremely positively. We have received thousands of letters, e-mails and phone calls of support and there have been lots of positive comments made at the checkout. We have also had a great support for our petition calling for a ban on GM foods. How can you justify selling branded products which contain GM ingredients? We recognise that many customers still want their favourite brands. We are a commercial organisation so have to offer them. But Iceland is the only food retailer to offer customers choice. Will you be able to keep up the non-GM stance indefinitely? In so far as it is possible to predict into the future, yes. We have secured supplies of guaranteed, segregated non-GM materials and these supplies are not jeopardised in any way. *********** http://www.iceland.co.uk/ext_11/web/market.nsf/(websearch)/wucoladd ?OpenDocument One of our biggest campaigns this year will see all the artificial colours and flavours removed from our own label range, and where it's safe to do so, preservatives too. Why? You've told us you want more natural products and you share our worries that artificial colours, which are used to make food more appealing, have been linked to certain conditions such as hyperactivity and allergies in children and are even suspected to cause cancer. From 1st October 1999, we'll make sure that only natural colours and flavours are used in the production of our own brand range. In order to make sure we deliver this promise, we're removing artificial colours such as Tartrazine (E102), Red 2 G (E128), Indigo Carmine (E132), Sunset Yellow (E110), Patent Blue V (E131), Carmoisine (E122), Amaranth (E123), Brown FK (E154), Black PN (E151) and Brown HT (E155). These names probably don't immediately mean a great deal, however, the article on the right "Top 10 terrors you'd probably like to avoid" will tell you everything you need to know. As part of our initiative we are also working to remove the artificial sweetener Aspartame from our own label range as it is thought to affect hypersensitive people. We've already banned the flavour enhancer Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) which is used to make food more palatable and need less salt. It's used in items such as chilli sauce, frozen waffles and used to be widely used in Chinese restaurants, which is why many of its symptoms have been labelled the 'Chinese Restaurant Syndrome' and include palpitations, fainting, headaches and cold sweats. As for artificial preservatives, we're also removing them, but only where it's safe to do so. In the past they've been added to products because they make the manufacturing process easier, in these cases we will remove them. But they do need to be kept in some products to make sure they stay fresh enough to eat. We'll keep monitoring and reviewing where we use them to make sure they are only used when absolutely necessary and we'll label clearly any products which contain them. http://www.iceland.co.uk/Ext_11/web/Market.nsf/(WebSearch)/wu10terrors Tartrazine, which is a widely used artificial dye, can cause severe migraine and hyperactivity in children, as well as bringing on asthma and eczema. This ingredient is typically found in fizzy drinks, squash, cake mixes, ready meals and snack foods. Tartrazine has also been linked to other allergic reactions such as itching, runny noses, blurred vision and purple patches on the skin and affects anyone sensitive to asprin. Sunset Yellow is a similar ingredient which is also found in marzipan, marmalade, squash, yoghurts and sweets and is a suspected carcinogen and despite its name can even make people allergic to sunlight. Brown FK which is used to colour kippers, it's suspected of causing gene mutation and cancer. Brown HT which is used in chocolate flavoured cakes, it can affect people with asthma, asprin sensitivity and is widely banned in other countries. Red 2 G (found in sausage meat) can cause thyroid disease and anaemia, and is banned in Norway and the United States, it has been recommended that children suffering with these conditions should avoid products containing this colouring. Red 2 G is even thought to cause gene mutation and damage to chromosomes. Idigo Carmine, which is often found in biscuits and sweets can cause nausea, vomiting, high blood pressure and occasional allergic reactions such as rashes, itching and breathing problems. Carmosine is also a red food colouring which can produce adverse reactions such as rashes and water retention in people who are allergic to asprin or are asthmatic. It's found in many processed products such as packet soups, packet jellies, sweets and flavoured yoghurts. Amaranth which can be found in items such as tinned apple sauce should also be avoided by people with asprin sensitivity as it may cause skin allergies. Patent Blue V, Erythrosine and Ponceau 4R are also suspected carcinogens. Black PN which is found in items such as brown sauce, chocolate mouse and black current cheesecake also provokes hypersensitivity reactions.