Articles by Dr. Shiva

ANOTHER 9/11:
OPENING THE FLOOD GATES OF GM FOODS IN INDIA THROUGH DEREGULATION

by Dr. Vandana Shiva

On September 11, 2007, the Government of India launched an attack on the rights of citizens to safe food by issuing a notification to exempt foods containing GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms) from the mandatory approval.  This is an attempt to subvert the existing law.  

Genetically engineered organisms and their products are regulated through the “Rules for the manufacture, use/import/export and storage of hazardous microorganisms/genetically engineered organisms or cells” of 1989 notification under the Environment Protection Act of 1986”.  

Under this regulation, the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC)of the Ministry of Environment and Forests must approve all “applications of gene technology” with a “view to protecting the environment, nature and health.”  

Rule 2 on Application clearly states:  

These rules shall apply to genetically engineered organisms/micro-organisms and cells and correspondingly to any substances and products and food stuffs etc. of which such cells, organisms or tissues thereof from a part.  

Rule 10 on Permission and Approval for Certain Substances:  

Substances and products, which contain genetically engineered organisms or cells or microorganisms shall not be produced, sold, or imported or used except with the Approval of the Genetic Engineering approval Committee.

Rule 11 on Permission and Approval for Food Stuffs clearly states:  

Food stuffs, ingredients in food stuff and additives including processing aids containing or consisting of genetically engineered organisms or cells, shall not be produced, sold, imported or used except with the approval of the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee.   

Throughout the rules, reference is made to damage to “environment, nature or health”.  

In very clear terms, the 1989 Rules under the EPA include foods derived from GMOs as subject matter and include health impact of GMOs and their products.  They also make clear that mandatory approval is required from the GEAC.  

The notification exempting GM foods from regulatory approval is totally unjustified.  A GEAC member was quoted by the Indian Express – (Doors opened for processed GM foods to enter market, Indian Express, 27.9.07) as stating that –  

The mandate of the committee is “environmental safety”, and that since GMOs in food do not propagate and grow, it does not fall in their purview.  

This is clearly false.  Rule 2 of the 1989 Rules have made it clear that the mandatory approval is required for products and food stuffs made from GMOs not just the organisms.  

Further, the Rules are clearly intended to cover both health and environment.  That is why the GEAC has as its member the Director General of the Indian Council of Scientific of Medical Research (ICMR) and Representative of the Health Ministry.  

The need is to ensure that the health ministry and ICMR become more active in assessing the health impacts as defined in the 1989 rules.  

Deregulation of GM foods is clearly driven by the food industry, both to allow unregulated imports of GM foods and to allow their production.  The government has already announced that soya oil made from genetically engineered soya does not need to be approved for imports.  (Business Line, 29.9. 07).  

The attempt at deregulation of GM foods is wrong.  It is wrong because the law is clear that food stuffs derived from GMOs need mandatory approval by the GEAC based on assessment of health risks.  It is also wrong because there is adequate scientific evidence that genetic engineering poses inherent health risks which include  

• Toxic or allergenic effects due to transgene products or interactions of transgene with host genes.  

• Vector-mediated spread of antibiotic resistance marker genes to gut bacteria and to pathogens.  

• Vector-mediated spread of virulence among pathogens across species by horizontal gene-transfer and recombination.  

• Potential for vector-mediated horizontal gene transfer and recombination to create new pathogenic bacteria and viruses.  

• Potential of vector-mediated infected cells after ingestion of transgenic foods, to regenerate disease viruses, or for the vector to insert itself into the cell's genome causing harmful or lethal effects including cancer.  

Foods made from GMOs have been found to have new and surprising health risks.  

A GM yeast had 200 times more of a toxin than a non-GM yeast.  

A GM corn, star link, had to be recalled because it caused allergic reactions in humans.  

In 1995, the Scottish Government gave Prof. Arpad Putzai a £ 1.6 million research grant to investigate GM foods and verify whether they were safe to eat or not.   

Putzai's team at the Rowett Institute found that the nutritional content of GM potatoes was considerably different from their non-GM parent lines.  Rats fed with GMO potatoes suffered damaged immune systems. Their white blood cells responded much more sluggishly than those fed a non-GM diet, leaving them more vulnerable to infection and disease.  Organs related to the immune system, the thymus and spleen, showed damage as well.  Rats fed GM potatoes had smaller brains, livers and testicles.  They had enlarged pancreas and intestines. Some showed atrophy of the liver.  Significant structural changes and a proliferation of cells in the stomach and intestines of GM fed rats signaled an increased potential for cancer.  And these effects developed after only 10 days of feeding.  

The Cauliflower Mosaic Virus (CAMV) promoter, used in all crop GMOs  was found intact in rat tissues after a single meal and was confirmed to be active in human cells. Research on GM-pea being developed by the CSIRO in Australia was recalled when it was found that it damaged the immune system in mice.  

Because of the health and environmental risks of so-called Frankenstein Foods, consumers are rejecting genetically engineered foods.  The ‘new, improved' products, as the biotechnology industry has tried to sell them, are ‘new' but not ‘improved' in the consumers' view.  Through consumer pressure, food retailers and food traders have started to deal in GE-free foods.  In April 1999, Unilever, Nestle and Cadbury announced that they were phasing out genetically modified products globally because of customer resistance.  Tesco and the Co-op did the same, joining the other big supermarket chains.  In August 1999, Edeka, German's largest retailer declared that it is completely abandoning GE foods.  Other large German retailers to go GE-free are Spar and Metro. In September 1999, Brake Bros, Britain's biggest distributor of frozen foods, eradicated GM ingredients from all its products, making it the first wholesale catering supplier to be totally GM free. The group promises that all, 2,000 food items it supplies to restaurants, hotels, schools and hospitals will be GM-free.  

In Japan, the import of GM soya beans has declined rapidly as food-processing companies shift their purchases to soya beans that have not been genetically modified. The Japanese Government has announced plans to require labelling of products made from GM crops beginning in April 2001.  In August 1999, Kirin, Japan's largest brewer and a leading biotech company announced that by 2001 it would stop using GM corn to make beer.  Sapporo Breweries Ltd. Japan's third largest beer producer also announced that it will stop using GM corn to make beer.  Honda Trading Co. is building a plant to bag GE-free soya beans and will contract with US farmers for their production. Fuji Oil Ltd, Japan's largest manufacturer of soya bean protein food products will stop using GM soya bean from April 2000.

The biotechnology industry has failed to get across to the Europeanand Japanese market.  It is now trying to bred into India's food market by subverting our laws. And in this task it is being helped by the U.S. – India Agriculture Agreement which goes by the deceptive name of the Knowledge Initiative in Agriculture. The US-India Agriculture Agreement is making our food security and food sovereignty.  It is time as much attention was paid to it as to the Nuclear Agreement.