McDonald's Britain Asking Suppliers to find Non-GE Animal Feed

Reuters 16nov00

LONDON - The British arm of McDonald's Corp., the world's number one restaurant group, said on Thursday it had asked its suppliers to find sources of animal feed that did not contain genetically modified products.

The ubiquitous high-street burger chain said, however, it would be impossible to demand a complete ban on GM feeds since non-GM corn and soya meal was not available in sufficient quantities.

``McDonald's in the UK has taken the decision to move away from the use of animal feed containing genetically modified ingredients. We have therefore requested that our suppliers seek non-GM sources of feed,'' the company said in a statement.

A McDonald's spokeswoman said the company's UK chicken supplier already  used feed of Brazilian origin, which was ``principally'' not genetically modified.

The use of GM crops in the food chain has come under fire globally from consumer groups concerned about possible health implications.