Delta is taking Greenpeace to court

DELTA has declared war against Greenpeace, demanding the withdrawal of the Consumer Guide for GM in animal products. For this case, the industry has filed an application for interim measures against the environmental organization, which will go on trial on 7 February.

In the current version of the Consumer Guide for GE announced by Greenpeace on 25 January, Delta ranked second lowest (the lowest one was NEOGAL) with the top three positions taken by Agno, Evrofarma and Mevgal.

The classification was based on four evaluation criteria (certificates of inspection bodies and certification for using non-GM food, certificates and written guarantees to prove the use of non-GM food etc.) that are common to all companies.

The company provided all the safeguards and considerations for the use of non-GM feed, but while it said it would brand the packaging of the finished product by May 2010, it has not done so until today.

The branding is the only way consumers can know what they eat, as emphasized by the environmental organization, which claims that the Ministry of Rural Development can not proceed with the appropriate markings on the packaging of the finished product, despite last year's announcements by vice minister Milena Apostolaki.

«At this moment, DELTA is trying to prevent disclosure of the overall stance against GMOs, although the same criteria had brought them to the top position in the previous investigation of the organization in May 2010. Thus, they are taking legal action against Greenpeace, with the withdrawal of the Guide as the key demand» the organization maintains, and accuses the dairy industry for ignoring not only the demand of thousands of consumers to know what they eat, but also the intention of all other companies involved in the process to inform consumers about their policy towards GMOs.

If DELTA reaches its target, the Consumer Guide may be removed from the website of Greenpeace and the general public will not be able to be more informed on companies’ attitudes towards GMOs in animal products.

It should be noted that the organization has been leading the fight against GMOs since 1997, and was the first in Greece to reveal the corresponding products in supermarkets.