Govt hesitant on labeling GM food.

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Government hesitant on labelling genetically modified food

 

 

The Union health ministry is reluctant to go

ahead with its earlier proposal pertaining to a mandatory labelling of

genetically modified (GM) food.

 

It has kept in abeyance the report of the

expert committee headed by Shiv Lal, the additional director-general of

the National Institute of Communicable Diseases.

 

In March this year, the Lal panel had

recommended a mandatory labelling of both processed and unprocessed GM

food and food ingredients produced in the country as well as those to

be imported.

 

A senior official of the health ministry,

when asked to comment on the future of the Lal panel report, said, “The

labelling norms suggested by the panel are too stringent and difficult

for implementation. We have not yet referred to the Central Committee

of Food Standards.” The health ministry had earlier proposed to amend

the Prevention of Food Adulteration Rules, 1955 to include the

provisions for mandatory labelling of GM food.

 

“Labelling of GM food is for giving

consumers an informed choice. We had decided that all GM food

irrespective of whether they are processed or unprocessed as well as

the ingredients should be labelled,” said Bejon Misra of the Voluntary

Organisation in Interest of Consumer Education (VOICE). Misra was one

of the panel members, along with other food analysts and experts.

 

The health ministry had set up the Lal panel

in response to the provisions of the Foreign Trade Policy, 2006, which

said that all imported GM products should be labelled.

 

The Foriegn Trade Policy, 2006 further said,

“If the consignment does not contain such a label and is later found to

contain traces of GM material, the importer is liable for penal action

under the Foreign Trade (Development & Regulation) Act, 1992.”

 

Meanwhile the Union ministry of environment

and forests has ensured free entry of processed GM food without any

regulation by the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee.

 

 

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