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Journalism of Courage
At least for the next few months, consumers in India will not know whether they are eating imported processed food that contains genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The country’s regulation on this has fallen into no-man’s-land. As reported by ‘The Indian Express’, the ministry of environment issued a notification exempting regulation on GM processed food in the country. Its rationale is that since GMOs cannot be replicated from a processed form, it is not an environmental issue. Health and safety aspects shall be regulated by the new authority to be formed under the Food Standards and Safety Act 2005. The authority is yet to see light of day after one year of the bill being passed. Sonu Jain lays out the issue
• What does the absence of a regulatory authority mean for GMO food?
GMO-containing food is becoming all-pervasive. In the WTO regime, it is important for countries to have their regulations in place if they care about consumer choice. A total of 51 countries have granted 539 regulatory approvals for various GM crops and GM food products since 1996 to 2006. The top ten countries with the most approvals granted are the US (77 approvals) followed by Japan (76), Canada (57), South Korea (46), Australia (40), Phillipines (36), Mexico (36), New Zealand (34), the EU (27), China (25).
In India, so far only Bt cotton has been cleared for commercial use. For all processed food, the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) would regulate the imports before the notification.
• What is the implication for processed food?
Most additives used in processed food ranging from baby food to margarine and tomato ketchup contain derivatives of GMO. Though health hazards directly associated with GMOs have not been established conclusively, it is felt that it is important for consumers to be given information and choice on whether they want to buy food with some form of GMOs. India imports considerable corn and soyabean oil. India imported two million tonnes of soya oil in 2004-05. Labelling is one means of ensuring a way to trace the origins of these GMOs.
• What is the international debate on labelling?
The International Codex Committee on food labelling is yet to include mandatory labelling for GM food, thanks to pressure from the US. EU has introduced mandatory labelling for which it was hauled to the WTO.
• What are the challenges of labelling?
If GM food labelling is to occur, policymakers need to consider: Should it be mandatory or voluntary? What foods should be labelled? What pieces of information should be placed on the label? Who should be in charge of monitoring? In the end, is it worth labelling at all?
• What has been India’s stand on labelling so far?
A few years ago, the Indian Council of Medical Science had come up with some recommendations on labelling. It said labels need to disclose necessary information about the origin of genetic modification. The suggested permissible levels were marginally higher than the EU norms.
• Does India have the necessary infrastructure?
For labels to be effective, tests would have to be conducted for allergens, potential toxicity, nutritional composition. So far India has no lab that can actually do large-scale testing for food with low GM traces.
• Will it be possible under the new authority under the new Food Act?
The Act will establish the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSA), which would lay down scientific standards of food safety. The FSSA would be assisted by a central advisory committee, a scientific committee and a number of scientific panels in specifying standards.
• Why the delay?
After the bill was passed by Parliament in August last year, there has been turf war between two ministries for the control of the authority: The ministry of health and family welfare versus the ministry of food processing. A committee under R.A. Mashelkar suggested that it should go to the ministry of health. Since then, the government has not been able to appoint a chairman and members of the authority. And since the authority is not in place, the rules are not in place either.
