News & Update

Citizen delegation gets no assurance from FSSAI on illegal GM foods

August 10, 2018 08:32 PM

 

“No Poison in Our Foods, Please” – India For Safe Food tells FSSAI CITIZENS KNOCK ON FSSAI DOORS FOR CONCRETE ACTION AGAINST ILLEGAL GM FOODS IN INDIA New Delhi, August 7th 2018: Pressing the food safety regulator FSSAI to take concrete action against illegal GM foods flooding into Indian markets, as confirmed recently by Centre for Science & Environment (CSE)’s findings, a delegation of citizens representing India For Safe Food turned up at the FDA Bhawan (FSSAI office) in Delhi. “The response of the FSSAI does not satisfy us. It is not enough that they say that they are in the process of formulating regulations with regard to GM foods. They have said this for years now. What about the interim, when GM is being consumed by unaware citizens unknowingly, and when industry is using loopholes to undertake unlawful sales?”, said Indian For Safe Food (IFSF) in a statement here. IFSF demanded that all GM foods, which are unpermitted and illegal in their presence in our markets, be removed by FSSAI immediately, and that punitive action be initiated against the violators so that it also becomes a deterrent for others. The delegation met with the CEO of FSSAI with a memorandum and a basket of the illegal GM foods with a message that said, “No Poison in Our Food”. “However, the FSSAI CEO did not commit to anything concrete in terms of acting on illegal unapproved hazardous GM foods. He said that he will not act on a private organisation’s findings. But then, he did not say that FSSAI will take up the testing itself, verify and act either! In fact, we are aghast that he asserted that there are no adverse health impacts from GM foods, ignoring the vast body of scientific evidence that already exists”, said Ajay Etikala, a young Delhi’ite who works to promote awareness about safe food amongst urban consumers. “We will continue to put pressure on FSSAI until they act in the interest of citizens”. CSE’s lab testing of food products samples from Delhi, Punjab and Gujarat found that one third of the samples tested were positive for GM even though genetically modified (GM) foods are illegal in India. 16 of the 21 foods that tested GM positive (80%) were imported and 5 were manufactured in India. This means that a vast majority of illegal GM foods are making their way into India by way of stealthy imports. 13 of the brands did not mention use of GM ingredients anywhere on their labels, while 3 products were even mislabelled, saying they were GM-free. GM-positive imported food products were based on, or used soy, cotton seed, corn and rapeseed. Positive samples manufactured domestically were made from cottonseed. Jaya Iyer of KHANA, a consumer awareness group working on food justice issues said, “A consumer’s right to know what s/he is consuming, right to safe food and right to informed choices are all being violated by the inaction of FSSAI. It is very shocking that FSSAI is not putting out an order instructing all such foods to be removed from the shop shelves, distribution centres and storehouses. There are instances in the past when they have indeed acted responsibly and got their enforcement wings to remove unapproved foods. Why will they not do it now?”, she demanded. “In fact, all foods that are ‘suspected-to-be-GM’ (based on the country of origin being GM-cultivating, and ingredients list containing corn, canola, soy, cottonseed, squash and papaya) should be allowed to be sold only if an undertaking, based on lab testing, is given by the importer that they are GM-Free. In fact, the foreign trade regulatory regime requires this. If this is not done, we will have to assume that the regulators are on the side of the food industry, are willing to jeopardise consumer health and are ready to work against their very core mandate”, said Dharmendra Kumar of Janpahal, another consumer awareness group which also works with street vendors. Dr Amar Singh Azad, Director of Kheti Virasat Mission’s Environmental Health Action Group, who is a public health expert and also a child health expert said, “Consumers have every reason to worry about such GM foods. The genetic engineering process, the individual genes used as well as the chemicals that are used in conjunction with GM crops are all factors in making these foods hazardous for human consumption. GM foods can potentially result in infertility, immune system disorders, damage to vital organs like liver, kidney, pancreas, lungs, brain etc., allergies, gastro-intestinal problems, adverse effects on the development and growth of an organism, and even cancerous growth, as per various studies available. There is evidence of correlation between consumption of GM crops or consumption of animals fed with GM crops to the incidence of chronic diseases like organ diseases, (thyroid and liver) cancers and neurological diseases from the USA. There is scientific evidence on alterations in the nutritional composition of a GM food. There is absolutely no reason or need for India to be allowing such GM foods to be consumed here. The Government should actively ensure that GM foods do not enter our food chain”. “FSSAI is expected to maintain the highest standards of safety for consumers. A day after the findings of CSE were made public, thousands of tweets demanded more concrete action from FSSAI. Later, the Coalition for a GM-Free India sent a letter to FSSAI demanding effective action. The FSSAI has not reacted positively so far, we are very disappointed about what we heard from the CEO today, and this does not improve the credibility of the regulatory agency. The Minister for Health & Family Welfare should initiate investigation into the procedural lapses that led to such large scale flooding of GM foods into our market and take action on the regulators who were not discharging their duties”, said Dr Rajinder Chaudhary of Kudrati Kheti Abhiyan. The delegation of IFSF, while it presented its demands memorandum to the FSSAI, was supported on social media by a Twitter Action from citizens all over India, demanding that FSSAI take up concrete action of removal of GM foods from the market, and penalising of violators. THE MEMORANDUM SUBMITTED BY IFSF IS DOWNLOADABLE HERE. _For more information, contact:_

  1. Ajay Etikala, India For SafeFood – 9971615133
  2. Dr Rajinder Chaudhary, Kudrati Kheti Abhiyan – 9416182061
  3. Kavitha Kuruganti, Coalition for a GM-Free India - 8880067772
Delegation Pictures, FSSAI, Aug 7th 2018 WhatsApp Image 2018-08-07 at 13.15.33 WhatsApp Image 2018-08-07 at 13.16.14(1) WhatsApp Image 2018-08-07 at 13.16.14 WhatsApp Image 2018-08-07 at 12.51.35 WhatsApp Image 2018-08-07 at 11.49.38(2) WhatsApp Image 2018-08-07 at 11.49.38(1) WhatsApp Image 2018-08-07 at 11.49.38

 

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Citizen delegation gets no assurance from FSSAI on illegal GM foods

August 10, 2018 03:02 PM

 

“No Poison in Our Foods, Please” – India For Safe Food tells FSSAI CITIZENS KNOCK ON FSSAI DOORS FOR CONCRETE ACTION AGAINST ILLEGAL GM FOODS IN INDIA New Delhi, August 7th 2018: Pressing the food safety regulator FSSAI to take concrete action against illegal GM foods flooding into Indian markets, as confirmed recently by Centre for Science & Environment (CSE)’s findings, a delegation of citizens representing India For Safe Food turned up at the FDA Bhawan (FSSAI office) in Delhi. “The response of the FSSAI does not satisfy us. It is not enough that they say that they are in the process of formulating regulations with regard to GM foods. They have said this for years now. What about the interim, when GM is being consumed by unaware citizens unknowingly, and when industry is using loopholes to undertake unlawful sales?”, said Indian For Safe Food (IFSF) in a statement here.

 

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What made Burkina Faso phase out Bt cotton

February 17, 2017 02:12 PM

 

Even as India grapples with a host of issues with regard to Bt cotton, Burkina Faso, one of the biggest adopters of the genetically modified crop, has done away with it.

 

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Indian state will pay farmers to go 100% organic and GMO-free

December 15, 2016 09:32 AM

 

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.

 

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Karnataka's silence on GM mustard worries farmers

December 11, 2016 09:33 AM

 

The Karnataka government is yet to take its stand on the heated debate over genetically-modified (GM) mustard that is raging across the country. Some major mustard-growing States such as Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh have been emphatically opposing GM mustard and its field trials. Despite several farmers’ groups and organic farmers asking the State government to urge the Centre to not allow open field trials, there seems to have been no discussion on this by the Agriculture Department, according to senior officials.

 

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Biodiversity Convention call to block new 'genetic extinction' GMOs

December 06, 2016 08:30 AM

 

160 global groups have called for a moratorium on new 'genetic extinction' technology at the UN Convention on Biological Diversity meeting in Cancun, Mexico. Gene drive technology, they say, poses serious and irreversible threats to biodiversity, national sovereignty, peace and food security.

 

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Herbicide-resistant 'superweeds' and GM crops

December 01, 2016 09:39 AM

 

Herbicide-resistant "superweeds" change their mating strategies over time, an evolutionary shift that helps them hold onto valuable genes and outcompete other plants, including herbicide-resistant genetically modified (GM) crops, according to a new study from University of Michigan.The study examined the relationships between plant mating systems and herbicide resistance in the common agricultural weed morning glory.The researchers found that morning glory populations that have evolved resistance to the herbicide Roundup rely on self-fertilization more than susceptible populations do.

 

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The hidden agenda behind GM Mustard

November 30, 2016 09:24 AM

 

Ignoring the assurance given to ban GM crops before it came to power, the BJP led NDA government is fast tracking the process to give clearance to genetically modified mustard seeds. The pretext is: GM mustard is developed by Deepak Pental, an Indian scientist with the support of Public Sector. It is not a product of Multinational Seed Company.

 

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Boulder County to proceed with phasing out GMO crops

November 30, 2016 06:45 AM

 

Boulder County will proceed with a policy and plan for phasing out the growing of genetically modified corn and sugar beets on county-owned farmland, county commissioners decided on a 2-1 Wednesday night vote.

 

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US farmers in retreat from “all-GMO”

November 25, 2016 08:30 AM

 

There is a wave of revolt in the kingdom of GMOs. Driven by lower cereal prices, some US farmers are wondering if they still have an interest in growing genetically modified crops, which cost them up to twice as much to plant than conventional seeds. The debate on GMOs that is emerging in the United States is far removed from European concerns about public health and biodiversity. It’s about a completely different aspect: the return on investment.

 

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