Tag Archives: #BanGMOs

Is India on its way to becoming an entirely organic nation? Just over two years ago, in September 2014, the Indian Government launched their revolutionary Rastriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (National Agriculture Development Program) as a way to encourage organic farming, and decrease dependence on chemical agents. In January 2015, the state of Sikkim was declared as the country’s first 100 percent organic state. Sikkim produces 800,000 tons of organic produce that’s free of harmful pesticides, chemical fertilizers and toxic GMOs — accounting for roughly 65 percent of India’s total organic produce yields.

Pope Francis has made his strongest attack yet on genetically modified plants and animals (GMOs) and the Biotech Industry (which includes companies such as Monsanto, Bayer, Dow, Du Pont, Syngenta and ChemChina), in a letter to the Director General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Professor José Graziano da Silva on World Food Day.

Genetically modified enzymes used in food, perfumes, medicine and cleaning products are “potent allergens” and should be tested like other potentially hazardous chemicals, experts have said. There has been an explosion in the use of enzymes to boost flavours and aromas, including in low-fat foods, helping to create a sector worth about $10bn (£7.7bn), according to a study published in Occupational & Environmental Medicine.