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More stringent labelling notification for GM food the need of the hour
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Wednesday, 02 January, 2013, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Our Bureau, New Delhi
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fiogf49gjkf0d A panel discussion on the topic of ‘Genetically Modified Foods and Consumer Rights’ took place recently. It was jointly organised by Greenpeace India and Consumer Coordination (CCC).
Consumer Coordination Council (CCC) demanded that K V Thomas, minister for food, consumer affairs and public distribution, make the GM labelling notification more stringent as the existing notification is inadequate to protect consumer interests.
The notification, which was issued earlier this year, comes into effect from January 1, 2013.
Speaking on the occasion, Amrit Lal Saha, chairman, CCC, said, “There is a vibrant debate on GM food in our country and it’s amply clear now that GM crops/food is neither in the interest of consumers nor the farmers of our country.”
He further stated that the proposed GM labelling system needs to be strengthened, as it lacks the details to be an effective law.
The consumer affairs ministry, in a Gazette Notification G.S.R. 427 (E), under the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) (2nd Amendment), Rules 2012, has made the labelling of GM food mandatory from January 1, 2013.
CCC, in its memorandum, pointed out that the one-line rule would not be of any use unless other effective measures like a statutory threshold of adventitious presence of GM ingredients for labelLing, clarity of the roles and responsibilities of the agencies involved and deterrent liability provisions for violators are put in place.
Speaking about the adequacy of GM labelling to ensure consumer rights, Shivani Shah, sustainable agriculture campaigner, Greenpeace India, said, “While labelling is essential for consumers to make an informed choice in the case of some imported food products which may contain GM ingredients, stopping any open release, including experimental trials, of GM crops in our country would be in the best interests of Indian consumers. This is more so, given the present appalling regulatory regime for GMOs in the country”.
The year 2012 marked a decade of approval of Bt cotton, the only GM crop commercially cultivated in India. The last decade has also seen a growing opposition to GM crops in the country.
The ensuing debate has raised serious concerns on the complete failure of the GM regulatory systems, an issue also highlighted by the Parliamentary standing committee on Agriculture in its report on GM crops tabled in Parliament during its last monsoon session.
The committee, comprising Members of Parliament from across party lines recommended putting in place an all-encompassing biosafety protection regime whose main mandate is to safeguard human health, biodiversity and our farm livelihoods from the potential impacts of GM crops.
The panel discussion resolved to demand the government to ensure that no GMOs are released into the environment until a bio-safety regime, which also includes effective labelling law, is in place.
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