HC Deb 16 February 1999 vol 325 c701W
Mr. Yeo

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will publish the information held by his Department on consumers' attitudes towards genetically modified food. [68089]

Mr. Nick Brown

My Department encourages all its research contributors to publish details of their work in peer reviewed scientific journals.

Mr. Yeo

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what information held by his Department about consumers' attitudes towards genetically modified food was released to(a) Monsanto, (b) Novartis and (c), other companies wishing to introduce genetic modification into Britain. [68090]

Mr. Nick Brown

Research sponsored by my Department on consumer attitudes towards biotechnology is available for public viewing in the library of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. Its availability, as with other research projects, is announced in the Food Safety Information Bulletin.

Mr. Yeo

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what discussions he has held with retailers about consumers' attitudes towards genetically modified food; [68088]

(2) what discussions he has held with retailers about consumers' attitudes towards genetically modified food. [68062]

Mr. Nick Brown

Ministerial colleagues and I have held meetings with retailers on a variety of matters including genetically modified food. In relation to genetically modified food we have stressed the importance we attach to safety and labelling.