Universities will face extra costs when laws for labelling genetically modified food are introduced next month.
From September, all catering services, from canteens to sandwich trolleys, will be legally obliged to inform consumers whether or not products contain GM maize or soya. The ingredients of pre-packaged products from suppliers also need to be marked. Universities could face fines of up to Pounds 5,000 per offence if foods containing GM products are found without clear labels.
Trading standards officers will be policing campus food and testing it for DNA and protein. They will expect answers if products are found unlabelled. As protection from prosecution, universities need to be able to prove that they have shown due diligence.