The movement against genetically modified organisms (GMO) appeared to be losing its traditional stronghold as Europe opened its doors to a major biotechnology research in the United Kingdom (UK), and a major European food company stood its ground against an international pressure group.

In the Philippines, food companies decried pressure exerted by Greenpeace International for them to buy raw materials from Greenpeace suppliers.

UK Prime Minister Tony Blair recently backed GM food trials in Cambridge, defying protests launched by groups which branded GMO crops "Frankenstein food."  Blair pledged "to defend science against these misguided groups."  He said these groups "will not be allowed to stand in the way of legitimate breakthroughs."

Blair was reportedly furious at attempts made by pressure groups to disrupt the GMO food trials.  "It is completely unacceptable for people to try to disrupt legitimate research," Blair said.

In a related development, giant global food manufacturer Nestle lashed out at international pressure group Greenpeace after the latter demanded that Nestle, a Switzerland-based firm, stop using GMO ingredients in its food products due to alleged health and environmental concerns.

Nestle blasted Greenpeace for its failure to come up with clear proof that food ingredients derived from genetically modified crops are unsafe for human consumption.  Nestle criticized the pressure group "for refusing to accept the opinion shared by international scientific bodies worldwide that GMO crops are as safe as their conventional counterparts."

Greenpeace also came under fire from leading food manufacturers in the Philippines after it demanded that they buy raw materials from Greenpeace's list of suppliers. They said the Greenpeace proposal is more expensive and does not guarantee availability and consistency in the supply of raw materials.

Filipino scientists also criticized what they labeled as "scare campaign against GMOs".