Auchan has helped fund the study on the toxicity of GMOs and Carrefour has served on the board of the Committee for Research and Independent Information on Genetic Engineering, CRIIGEN.
Who has been funding the study that fear? Auchan has provided funds to pay for the study on the toxicity of GMOs released this week. And its competitor, Carrefour , served between 2000 and 2010 the Board of the Committee for Research and Independent Information on Genetic Engineering (Criigen), fund manager, announced Friday.
"Like many companies in the food industry in general, we have financially supported this study to contribute to the scientific debate on food," said a spokesman for Auchan. In turn, Carrefour is on the Board of Directors from 2000 to 2010 Criigen to "participate in the funding of research on diet", and in particular the impact of GMOs on health , according to a spokesman who stated that funding was not specifically on the study of Professor Séralini ..
@ Auchan et Carrefour ont aidé à financer l'étude sur les OGM - L'EXPRESS:
This financing was not declared in the latest scientific publication of CRIIGEN. It is, apparently, not seen as a conflict of interest.
Update 26 Sept 2012
Séralini study - an orchestrated PR campaign to profit French businesses?
The orchestrated launch of a study, two books and a film by French groups known for their opposition to modern agbiotech, shows that dubious science is being mis-used for political and commercial reasons. Big food in France has financed the Seralini study and PR campaign – not least because it hopes to profit commercially from an anti-GM scare.
FACTS/ REPORTED CONECTIONS
Financing
· 3.2 m € overall (for study and campaign)
· 1.5 m € from CERES
· 900.000 € from Fondation Charles Leopold Mayer pour le progrès de l’homme
· The provenance of the remaining 800.000 € does not appear to be known.
The French retail connection
· CERES, the financing association of Criigen, was set up on the initiative of Gérard Mulliez, the founder of Auchan (France’s 2nd biggest retail group).
· An extract from Séralini’s book confirms the retail link, and explains that the money was channelled through CERES precisely because Séralini did not want to be seen to be “financed by the big retail lobby”. He names the foundation « Charles Léopold Mayer pour le progrès de l’homme » with its director Matthieu Calame as another main donor, and adds that there were also «several others »
· Auchan admitted to AFP having financed this study “like many other companies from the food sector”.
· Carrefour financed Criigen foundation between 2000 and 2010 “but not specifically Séralini’s study”). They say they have no administrative or financial link to Criigen since 2010. http://www.lsa-conso.fr/
· On 24 September, Carrefour launched a new advertising campaign for its GM Free labelled product range, with national and regional media coverage in France, which requires weeks of preparation (to book advertising space etc).See also: http://www.lexpress.fr/
· CERES does not appear to have a website and no structural information appears to be available about this association.
PR agency and editing house
It appears that the PA/PR agency which supported the Carrefour advertising campaign also has Flammarion as a client – the editorial house publishing Séralini’s book.
Fondation Mayer
· The annual budget is 10 m €, information about donors does not appear to be available on the website.
· The foundation claim to be partners of hundreds of organisations world-wide including Université Libre de Bruxelles, Le Monde, and Scientists for Social and Environmental Responsibility.
Lepage MEP
Mme Lepage MEP (former French environment minister and former member of Criigen) has very close connections to Séralini (joint press conference in the European Parliament in Sept 2012, Séralini was invited to speak at the European Parliament by Lepage on at least 4 occasions over the past few years), and she has an obvious financial interest, because the scare is likely to increase sales of her book which is to be launched also in the next few days.
The organic and alternative pharmaceuticals connection
Sustainable Food Trust – the press conference was organized by the Sustainable Food Trust, CEO: Patrick Holden. Holden is a former director of the Soil Association (organic lobby).
Another link exists with Sevene Pharma, a French alternative pharma company. “Sevene Pharma is specialised in plant based medicine and promises to be developing a preparation to “detoxify” people who are “poisoned” with roundup or other herbicides, and the company advertises Séralini’s books. And who is evaluating this company’s innovative product Dig-1? Séralini!”
Another source indicated that Sevene financed several earlier Séralini studies: http://alerte-environnement.
Update
10 Oct 2012
Food and chemical toxicology
Letter by Jack Heinemann
School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, 226 von Haast, New Zealand. Tel.: +64 3 364 2500
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fct.2012.10.055,
Refers to
Gilles-Eric Séralini, Emilie Clair, Robin Mesnage, Steeve Gress, Nicolas Defarge, Manuela Malatesta, Didier Hennequin, Joël Spiroux de Vendômois
Long term toxicity of a Roundup herbicide and a Roundup-tolerant genetically modified maize
The proper pathway forward is for any uncertainty in the findings to be put to rest through: the establishment of a consensus protocol developed through a transparent and openly peer-reviewed methodology; definitive study using this protocol to be conducted by industry-independent scientists of appropriate qualifications, such as Seralini et al., with reasonable access for observation by those nominated by the industry and regulatory communities.
Update
14 Nov 2012
Etude Anti-Ogm de Séralini : les petits soldats de la Fondation pour le progrès de l’homme
An updated master collection of information about CRIIGEN and GMOs is at the hyperlink in the black bar at the top of the page. Also see the label L'affaire Seralini accessible at base of posts and at the pop-out script at the right of the screen.
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