08 October 2007 - United
States — The corporate braumeisters of Anheuser-Busch
have let genetically engineered rice contaminate
their Budweiser beer, independent laboratory
testing has revealed. Tests show rice used
in Anheuser-Busch's east coast US breweries
is contaminated with genetically engineered
rice varieties outlawed in most of the world.
Budweiser is an international brand exported
to 60 countries worldwide. Anheuser-Busch
controls 50 percent of the US beer market
and is the largest single purchaser of rice
in America. They buy between a staggering
six and ten percent of the entire annual
US rice harvest.
The contamination
In 2006, over 30 percent of the US long
grain rice crop was contaminated by multiple
strains of genetically engineered (GE) rice.
It is still not clear how this happened.
We do know that these GE rice strains, called
"Liberty Link", came from Germany's
Bayer CropScience.
The plot thickened when it was revealed
the GE rice that eventually ended up in
Anheuser-Busch's brewing mix was supposed
to be confined to test sites only. This
GE rice was never cultivated or marketed
for sale. The US Department of Agriculture
retroactively approved the use of the Liberty
Link rice strains, but their sale is still
outlawed in most of the world.
The contamination wreaked havoc with US
rice farmers and processors. It is estimated
in a class action lawsuit filed against
Bayer that 63 percent of the US rice industry’s
export trade was disrupted. Orders and contracts
were cancelled, products were removed from
shelves, shipments were halted and recalls
ordered. Testing and certification requirements
were imposed. There was extensive brand
damage and a large loss of market share
for US producers.
Anheuser-Busch's responsibility
Although Anheuser-Busch did not cause the
genetic contamination of the rice, the company
has a responsibility to their customers.
It should have refused to purchase or use
any rice contaminated by the GE strains.
Tests conducted for Greenpeace show Anheuser-Busch
let the ball drop.
Anheuser-Busch has made a commitment to
use only GE free ingredients at its brewery
in Wuhan, China, but has to date refused
to make the same commitment to American
and European consumers. Whassup with that?!
Greenpeace is calling on the makers of
Budweiser, Anheuser-Busch:
A) To make a global commitment - for itself,
its partners and subsidiaries - that it
will be GE free in all its beer ingredients.
B) To actively oppose the growing of GE
rice including current fields in Arkansas
being cultivated by Bayer CropScience.
