Three million people "vote" to make Italy GM-free

ROME (Reuters) - More than 3 million Italians have signed a petition calling for Italy to ban all genetically modified foods, an alliance of food producers, consumers and environmental groups said on Tuesday.

Campaigners collected signatures at marketplaces and food fairs across the country over the last few months and hope the government will respond by banning all imports and cultivation of what they consider "Frankenstein foods."

"We gathered 3,086,524 votes, of which 3,068,958 (99.43%) were in favor of banning GMOs and 17,566 (0.57%) said no," said a spokesman for the campaign group "Italy Europe - Free from Genetic Modification."

Italy does not allow the cultivation of GM plants but imports GMOs as animal feed. European consumers have expressed concern that genetically-modified crops might increase health risks, or pose threats to the natural environment.

Two weeks ago, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said he would suspend cultivation of GMOs, part of Europe's continued skepticism towards crops that have been genetically altered, for example to enhance yields or make them resistant to pesticides.

The petition invited Italians to sign forms designed to resemble ballot papers, asking them to answer "yes" or "no" to whether food production should be "genuine ... founded on biodiversity and free from GMOs."

The EU's resistance to GMOs over recent years has caused trade disputes with major grain exporters, like the United States, which believe Europe has used consumer concerns over the technology as an excuse to block trade.

(Reporting by Liz Rusbridger and Robert Woodward)