The notification of FDI in retail and announcement by giant retailers of plans for a major Indian debut coincide with disturbing evidence about the toxic effects of Genetically Modified foods which are expected to arrive in this country at the same time. The absence of appropriate legislation could thus adversely affect the health of the very segments of society that favour FDI in retail as a marker of upgraded lifestyles.
A new in-depth study into the long-term effects of consuming Monsanto’s genetically modified corn along with trace levels of its Roundup chemical fertilizer has found that rats develop gigantic tumours, organ damage (liver, kidney), and premature death (up to 50 per cent of males, 70 per cent of females). Some tumours were so large that the rats could hardly breathe. Early reports hint that GM food could emerge as the ‘new thalidomide’ (a sedative drug introduced in the 1950s and later withdrawn when it was found to introduce birth defects).
The rats were fed NK603 GM corn grown widely in North America and fed to animals and humans; it figures in corn-based breakfast cereal, corn tortillas, corn snack chips. The Roundup pesticide consumed was at levels legally permissible in the water supply, but the rats suffered a 200 per cent to 300 per cent increase in large tumours, particularly female rats, 80 per cent of whom developed mammary tumours by the end of the trial. The study suggests consumption of GM maize and the herbicide Roundup have harmful effects on human health, and is being taken seriously by experts around the world.
Dr. Joel Spiroux and Professor Gilles-Eric Seralini, who published the results of their two-year study in Food and Chemical Toxicology, are members of the Committee for Research and Independent Information. The study questions the adequacy of regulatory processes in vogue all over the world, which tend to cover a period of just three months, whereas theirs was a two year study with a large sample size of 200 rats. The results on Roundup toxicity suggest it has permeated the underground water, with serious implications for local consumers.
So far, governments world over have done little to stop predatory seed companies from monopolizing and controlling food supply through genetically engineered seeds that are patent-protected against re-use in the traditional manner, pushing farmers into eternal bondage. Farm saved seeds are healthier than GM seeds that need costly fertilizers and pesticides to produce an adequate crop yield, which even then may fall short of profitability for the debt-ridden farmer.
India was forced to open its seed sector to multinational corporations in 1998 by the World Bank. Besides ensuring a captive market for MNCs, the seed monopoly caused instant loss of biodiversity. Where farmers once grew legumes, millets, and oilseeds, they began growing only cotton to cover input costs. This monoculture hiked the risk of crop failure as the new seeds were not adapted to the diverse eco-systems in which they are being imposed by strong arm tactics. Hence the farmer suicides.
Worse, GM seeds sterilize natural/wild crops by contaminating their genetic material. This is why India, with nearly 30 types of brinjal, stoutly resisted Bt Brinjal being imposed by some embedded scientists and experts in 2010. But now, GM foods may sneak in via multinational retailers who have resisted labeling foods for consumer information and choice.
In America, activists canvassing for laws to ensure that products are labelled if they contain GMOs, point out that food allergies in America have doubled in the past 15 years, which could be linked to GM foods. But giant retailers counter that labels would frighten buyers into believing there might be something wrong with genetically engineered foods, and this could hurt the farming industry.
If governments are not sufficiently proactive in the matter, consumers worldwide could be exposed to ingesting chemicals with toxic side effects until a health disaster accumulates on a large enough scale. By then, the soil, water, and natural seeds of myriad plant species may have been hopelessly contaminated. For India, the better option is to say no to GMO foods and GM seeds, and to take the campaign to neighbouring countries like Nepal, from where potential contamination could spread to India.
An immediate impact of the study is that Russia has suspended import and sale of Monsanto’s GM corn. Russian scientists opposed to GMO in food plan a public experiment in March 2013, so that people can see and assess the process themselves. The National Association for Genetic Safety (NAGS) will install web cameras in cages with rats and broadcast all stages of the experiment on the Internet 24/7 worldwide.
A previous study in 2006 had found that by the third generation, some animals became infertile. Should the animals suffer in the experiment, it would pave the way for banning GMOs in Russia.
NitiCentral.com; 2 October 2012
http://www.niticentral.com/2012/10/sow-fdi-in-retail-reap-poison-food.html