Zhu Yanling is back in court, once again filing suit against Shanghai Nestle Co for using genetically modified ingredients in its chocolate milk powder without informing consumers.

Zhu has sued the company two times in the past, and lost both times.

This time, however, she is armed with test results from a German laboratory that show the powder contains genetically modified ingredients, something she couldn't prove in previous cases.

The Hongkou District People's Court accepted the case, and heard it yesterday.

In addition to Shanghai Nestle Co, Zhu is also suing Shanghai Lianhua Supermarket Co Ltd.

She is demanding Nestle properly list all of the ingredients in Nesquick, and pay her 16 yuan (US$2), about double the price she paid for the powder.

"We filed the case again because the report from German-based GeneScan, the world's leading GM food testing laboratory, confirmed there are GM additives in Nestle's products," said Wu Dong, Zhu's attorney.

Wu said the report is very helpful to the lawsuit.

Zhu bought a package of Nestle's powder for her son from a Lianhua Supermarket outlet in 2003 for 6.8 yuan.

Later, she learned from the Internet and newspapers that the product contains genetically modified ingredients.

She lost her previous suits because two tests performed by the Shanghai Agriculture Scientific Institute provided different results, Wu pointed out.

"We are fighting for the right to be informed," said Wu.

The attorneys for Nestle and Lianhua Supermarket questioned the authenticity of the report in court yesterday.

(Shanghai Daily December 13, 2005)