INDEPENDENT (London) May 2 GM Foods - Countdown to a consumer victory By GEOFFREY LEAN 7 February The Independent on Sunday launches its campaign to get a three-year freeze on developing genetically modified crops, and for all products containing modified food to be clearly labelled. More than 100 chefs and food writers back opposition to GM food; thousands of readers back the campaign. 12 February English Nature warns it cannot recommend safety of GM foods. 13 February Scientists stage Westminster news conference to demand that the findings of Dr Arpad Pusztai are reinstated after an international panel of 20 experts endorse his work. He claimed laboratory rats fed with GM potatoes had suffered damage to their immune systems and vital organs. Blair rejects demand for moratorium on GM food. Labour's former chief spokesman, David Hill, and Tony Blair's US pollster and strategist, Stan Greenberg, are revealed as advisers to GM food giant Monsanto. 15 February Tony Blair gives personal assurance that GM is safe to eat. Lord Sainsbury, science minister, revealed as owning a key GM gene that is used to create most of the GM foods currently on the market, such as soya. 17 February Royal Society scientists to re-issue report on dangers of GM foods after ministers ignored it for five months. 20 February Tony Blair warns that banning GM food would jeopardise Britain's bio-tech industries. Pressure mounts on Lord Sainsbury. 21 February IoS/NOP poll shows 59 per cent unhappy with way Government has handled issue; 68 per cent worried about eating GM food. 25 February Prime Minister tells Commons there will be no inquiry into Government's handling of GM foods. Councils to ban GM food from schools, town halls and old people's homes. 28 February Advertising Standards Authority criticises Monsanto for its misleading campaign. 3 March Dr Jean Emberlin, director of National Pollen Research Unit at University College, Worcester, says dangers of contamination by GM pollen may have been seriously underestimated. 11 March English Nature scientists warn science and technology select committee that GM crops pose a severe threat to wildlife and ecosystems. 15 March Marks & Spencer to remove all GM ingredients. Novartis, world's third largest drug company, pans "hysteria" over GM. Lord Sainsbury says GM food poses a risk, but benefits outweigh possible dangers. Ministers meanwhile confident that they can persuade firms to back voluntary three-year freeze on GM crops. 18 March Supermarkets Waitrose and the Co-op promise to make their own brands GM-free. 19 March New laws on labelling of foods containing GM products come into force. Shops and restaurants failing to do so face fines of up to #5,000. 29-30 March Protests against GM foods held across Britain, including demonstrations at supermarkets and the ripping-up of oil seed rape plants at farms. Two protesters cleared of criminal damage to #44,000 worth of crops at a Devon farm; Crown Prosecution Service says public opinion is one reason for not pursuing the case. 21 April Britain's finest restaurants, including the Savoy and the River Cafe, announce that they will ban all GM products. 27 April Tesco promises to remove GM foods from its shelves, wherever possible. Unilever announces a ban on its products. 29 April Further rules governing the labelling of GM foods so that GM-free products can be clearly identified are being considered by the Government. Cadbury Schweppes announces that it is removing all GM ingredients from its chocolate.