Environmental Org's Protest Against Unilever

["Greenbase" <greenbas@gb.greenpeace.org>]

ENVIRONMENTAL ORGANISATIONS PROTEST AGAINST UNILEVER 

Thousands of posters about Unilever's margarine to be
distributed in the Netherlands.  

Rotterdam--24 March 1997--Greenpeace and the Foundation for
Nature and Environment this morning began a protest at the
Unilever headquarters in Rotterdam against the use of
genetically engineered soya in food.  

Activists hung a giant banner on the front of the Unilever
headquarters in Rotterdam whilst others demonstrated outside. 
The banner's design was a parody, based on the box designs one
of Unilever's brands of margarines in the Netherlands.

The environmental groups are calling on Unilever  to stop using
genetically modified organisms (GMO's) in their products because
of the risk to both human health and the environment -- with no
advantage to the consumer. 

The protest sees the start of a poster campaign around the
Netherlands this week which is designed to inform consumers of
the fact that genetically modified soya might already be in our
food.  The poster designs are based on Unilever's three
margarine brands:  Bona, Blue Brand and Latta.  Thousands of
posters will be put up around the Netherlands, pointing out that
Unilever's margarine could give consumers a "new chance at
environmental damage" and to "team up with biotechnology". 
Consumers are asked to call a Greenpeace hotline to get a list
of products which contain guaranteed genetic engineering (GE)-
free products like other companies around Europe. 

Greenpeace and the Foundation for Nature and Environment want
Unilever, the biggest food producer in the Netherlands, to join
with its sister companies, Unilever Germany and Austria, who
have already decided to go GE-free after consumer pressure. 
Despite calls from the organisations here, Unilever Netherlands
has until now refused to do the same, hence today's protest.

On 20 February the Dutch Parliament passed a resolution calling
on the Dutch Government to ensure a segregated, GMO-free food
supply.  The two parliamentarians who put forward the resolution
have joined the protest today.   The Dutch Parliament agrees
with Greenpeace that the consumer has the right to choose a GMO-
free supply.  This is necessary as a first step towards a
genetic engineering free future. In November 1996 the European
Parliament also passed a resolution calling for segregation for
a GE-free food suppply.  

Soy products are in 60% of all our food, including bread,
biscuits and chocolate.  Last year two percent of the US soy
harvest contained genetically engineered soy, and the next crop
will be 10%.    


ends

For information please call James Gillies Greenpeace
International ++00 31 20 524 9548.