The government will be investigating the nutritional content of imported fruit concentrates and other juices.

This follows a recent disclosure in New Zealand that, contrary to claims in advertisements, there was no vitamin C in the Ribena fruit juice. Two high school students in New Zealand carried out a test, which proved that, contrary to the claims of the company providing the drink, there was no vitamin C.

Phillip Paulwell, Minister of Industry, Technology, Energy & Commerce, told the Standing Finance Committee of Parliament yesterday that checks will be made to determine whether there were similar problems of false advertising in Jamaica.

He was responding to questions posed by Dr. Kenneth Baugh, Opposition Spokesman on Health, in light of the New Zealand case.

Genetically modified foods

Dr. Baugh also voiced concerns with Agriculture Minister Roger Clarke about the importation of genetically modified foods, seeds and seedlings into Jamaica.

The Agriculture Minister informed the committee that a policy was being developed to guide the country's actions in this area.

He confirmed that "a limited amount" of genetically modified feeds were being imported, but asserted that this did not represent a threat to Jamaica's food supplies.

In the meantime, he said, the Ministry of Agriculture was intensifying its own scientific studies in this area, starting with pumpkin seeds, at the Bodles research centre in St. Catherine.