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Do
you know that more than 50 imported food items sold in Sri Lanka
are GM positive? The Centre for Environmental Justice (CEJ) using the guide from the Green Peace, which is considered the authority on international environmental matters, notes a three-fold rise in genetically-modified food items in the local market over the past three years since the government introduced regulations to restrict the import of GM food items. The CEJ was among those groups that lobbied for regulations. In April 2001, the Food Advisory Committee of the Ministry of Health issued a gazette notification for restrictions on the import of 21 GM food items such as soy products, corn products, fresh and processed tomato products, cheese, bakers yeast, beet sugar and microbiological cultures. But apparently under pressure from the United States, the main GM-food producing country, the World Trade Organisation and food importers, the then government first granted a 60-day grace period for the food items to be removed from the shelves and eventually suspended the regulations a day before the regulations were to come into effect. But, CEJ Executive Director Hemantha Withanage, an environmental scientist, said that in addition to the gazetted food items, more products such as cereal, chocolates, soft drinks, vegetable oil and peanut butter, were available in the market. Three years have passed since the regulations were suspended and the authorities still dare not touch the matter, due to pressure from powerful countries. As a result - also in the absence of legislation - the consumer is unaware that some food items he buys are genetically modified. The term GMOs is commonly used in reference to crop plants, which are developed using the latest molecular biology techniques, for human and animal consumption. These plants have been modified in the laboratory to enhance desired traits such as increased resistance to herbicides or improved nutritional content. GM technology can develop plants with the exact desired trait very rapidly and with great accuracy, unlike the traditionally tried and tested methods of conventional plant breeding. Because they are living organisms, GM crops can multiply, spread and reproduce indefinitely and at will. Once released, genetically engineered organisms can never be recalled, so their effects are irreversible. GM pollen and seeds can contaminate farms and wilderness, creating uncontrollable "super weeds" and threatening the veritable purity of crops, say environmentalists. Science and Technology Minister Prof. Tissa Vitharana who was sidelined from the Food Advisory Committee after he called for a ban on GM food, warned in an interview with The Sunday Times that the danger of altering the genetic structure of organisms was immense. "Genes typically follow a vertical structure, spreading down through generations of the same species. Genetically modified genes have the ability to spread horizontally, and even cross species boundaries - and this is where the danger lies," said Prof. Vitharana, who once headed the Medical Research Institute. "For example, prawn genes are now being introduced into varieties of strawberries to help increase their shelf life. If a person with an allergy for prawns ate these strawberries it is quite possible that he would react badly, and end up with severe side effects, which could even result in death," warned Prof. Vitharana, a microbiologist by profession. His view was supported by S. Nagiah, Assistant Director, Food Control Administration Unit, who claimed that if a gene from a Brazilian nut was inserted into soybeans, it could cause reactions which could be fatal for someone who was allergic to nuts. It was in this context that labelling with details of the GM ingredients was necessary, said Prof. Vitharana who earlier served in the Food Regulatory Authority of the Health Ministry. "During my tenure with the FRA in 2001/2002, it was proposed a ban on GM food imports until the safety of the items is established. Although the Minister of Health reportedly initially accepted this proposal, it was later turned down under extreme pressure from foreign countries. "We were asked to reconsider the matter, and as a compromise, we proposed that labelling be made mandatory for all GM goods. But this proposal, however, was never acted upon. We learned from reliable sources that the Minister had submitted the proposal to the Prime Minister's office where it appeared to have been delayed and subsequently shelved," Prof. Vitharana claimed. "Following my strong stance on this issue, I was not invited for meetings of the Food Advisory Committee," said the Minister. Dr. C. K. Shanmugarajah, Director of the Environmental, Occupational Health & Food Control Administration, explained that a Health Ministry expert panel appointed in 2001 to conduct a comprehensive probe on the import of GM foods, came up with three basic recommendations. One of them was to label all products to make the consumers aware that what he or she buys was genetically modified or contained genetically-modified ingredients. The second recommendation was to make approval by local authorities compulsory for all GM food entering the country, subjected to a risk assessment analysis. The third recommendation was aimed at strengthening and improving local laboratory, analytical capacity, including training for personnel, enabling testing to be carried out here, Dr. Shanmugarajah said. To implement these recommendations, Dr. Shanmugarajah said funds were necessary. "We have to set up the necessary infrastructure and carry out awareness campaigns." However, he also called for a balanced approach taking into consideration the consumers' health and the industry's survival. The rise of diseases that are resistant to treatment with common antibiotics is already a serious medical concern. Doctors warn that the use of antibiotic resistance genes in GM crops may add to this risk. The UPFA government believes that it could move on the matter, but so far no action has been taken at cabinet level, though there has been discussion at official level on the subject. Environment and Natural Resources Minister A.H.M Fowzie said his Ministry was trying to bring in legislation to control GM foods. "We are working to formulate a national policy on GM Foods and hope to present it to the cabinet in the next couple of months," he said. Ministry sources said there had been no political pressure to shelve moves to bring in legislation while Minister Vitharana said Responding to queries about handling international pressure on the subject, Prof. Vitharana said all measures necessary to safeguard the consumer would be taken whether there was international pressure or not. "There really is no excuse for importing untested GM foods, especially when all of them have safe non-GM alternatives," Prof. Vitharana said. Pointing out strong opposition to GM food in some European countries, CEJ's Hemantha Withanage said it was vital to safeguard local crops from being genetically modified. "Because there is a decrease in the demand for GM foods in Western Europe, GM food producers are targeting markets of the developing countries, Mr. Withanage noted. According to various tests and experiments conducted abroad, many brands of chocolate and fizzy drinks contained syrup made of genetically modified corn, he said. "In addition, some imported brands of soy and wheat products currently available in our local markets too have been tested GM positive abroad. We are forced to rely on second hand information from the West, as we lack resources and expertise to conduct our own studies locally," Mr. Withanage added. He said if a ban on GM products was not feasible, at least some regulations should be brought in, making labelling necessary so that the consumer would know whether the item was GM or not. - Reports by Marisa de Silva, Mahangu Weerasinghe, Asif Fuard and Ishani Ranasinghe |
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