TRADING standards officers are among those who have discovered that some caterers are breaking laws relating to genetically modified (GM) food.

An operation by officers in Yorkshire and the Humber has revealed that about a quarter of caterers are using cooking oils sourced from a GM food, without telling customers.

Officers visited cafes, takeaways, pubs, restaurants and hotels to establish the extent to which GM-sourced oils were being used and whether they were labelled on the menu.

They found one in four caterers using oils sourced from GM crops and 94 per cent were not passing the information on to customers.

Follow-up work confirmed that premises owners were either ignorant of the law or had not checked the raw materials. When told of the error, most chose to switch to a non-GM source of oil.

Consumers seeking information on GM food should visit the Food Standards Agency website at www.foodstandards.gov.uk.