Concerns about the safety of genetically engineered foods are very common, but real action from today's governments to honor these concerns is something outside the ordinary. India is drawing attention for its precedent-setting decision to put GMO aubergine or eggplant on hold until further studies can prove the crop's safety to both the scientific community and the public.
GM Eggplant (BT Brinjal) Will Not Be Planted in India
Making news around the world, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh has put the concerns of India's people first in making policy about genetically modified foods or GMOs (genetically modified organisms).
"Public sentiment is negative. It is my duty to adopt a cautious, precautionary, principle-based approach," Minister Ramesh told BBC reporter Geeta Pandey at a news conference in Delhi where his decision was made public on February 9, 2010.
GM cotton has been grown in India since 2002, but this recent decision means that genetically engineered vegetables will not be allowed as part of Indian agriculture for at least the next six months, or until "independent scientific studies" can show that GM produce is safe "from the point of view of its long-term impact on human health and environment." Coming on the heels of a recent study revealing that corn developed by GM giant Monsanto may be the cause of liver, kidney and heart damage, Ramesh's cautious stance on GM eggplant is sensible, but sets a unique precedent.
The Debate Over Genetically Modified Food Safety
Concerns about the health and environmental impact of GM foods are anything but new, but they have taken a new direction in India. Mass protests, alongside statements from most Indian states that they would not allow the genetically modified BT brinjal, have effectively quashed the move to begin planting insect-resistant GMO aubergine.
The decision to perform further research before allowing BT brinjal eggplant is being hailed by some as a "victory over American imperialism," says the UK Guardian, since the American GMO giant Monsanto is a part-owner of the Indian company, Mahyco, which pioneered the eggplant strain.
India currently grows more eggplant than any other nation in the world – over 4,000 varieties – and most provinces have been vocal about their unwillingness to cultivate the GMO BT brinjal crop instead of traditional varieties.
"This would be the first GM vegetable crop anywhere in the world," Minister Ramesh said at the conference, "so I have been very sensitive and I have arrived at this decision which is responsible to science and responsible to society."
Sources:
- BBC, "India puts on hold first GM food crop on safety grounds," News.BBC.co.uk, 9 February 2010.
- Associated Press, "India halts release of GM aubergine," Guardian.co.uk, 9 February 2010.
Victoria Anisman-Reiner - Victoria Anisman-Reiner is a freelance writer with extensive experience in holistic health care and animal training.
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