DINERS in Dorset have unwittingly been eating genetically modified (GM) food, according to the county’s Trading Standards service.

A survey of 48 restaurants throughout the county found 13 of them were breaking the law by using cooking oils containing GM substances without telling their customers.

Of the 13 catering businesses Trading Standards officers found breaking the rules, two are in Weymouth, one is in Dorchester and one is in Portland.

Of the remaining nine, two are in Sturminster Newton, three are in Wimborne, one is in Ferndown, one is in Christchurch and one is in Blandford.

Dorset Trading Standards chief Ivan Hancock says he cannot name the eateries found falling foul of the GM laws because of national Freedom of Information legislation and because he does not want to run a ‘naming and shaming’ campaign.

The owner of the Weymouth restaurants found to have breached the rules – Sinan Keskin, of Café Express in King Street and Cafelicious in St Thomas Street – agreed to be identified in the Dorset Echo.

Mr Keskin, 28, said he had not been made aware of the need to tell his customers about the GM ingredients his premises used before the Trading Standards investigation and had now changed the products he uses to comply with the law.

He said: “It was quite a surprise to me to find out about this law.

“Nobody had told us about it and I didn’t know before that I had to tell my customers.

“I’ve now changed the oil I use to a GM-free variety, which costs an extra £2 per container.”

Mr Keskin, who has been running Cafelicious for six years and Café Express for two, added: “There is a need to comply with the law and if this is what Trading Standards want, it’s what I will do.

“I’m not going to argue with that but it seems like it could cover a wider area.

“For example, if a customer comes in saying they want Halal food or vegetarian food, do I need to tell them that the plate it’s served on may have had bacon on it?

“Or, would I need to tell them that their plate has been washed in the same sink or machine as plates that have had meat on them?

“If I’m going to be 100 per cent above board do my customers have to be told about these things?”

Mr Keskin said he now spends around an extra £16 per week on GM-free cooking oils at his businesses to comply with the GM food laws.