India’s apex food regulator has no data on the presence of GMOs in fresh produce imported over the past 5 years

India’s apex food regulator has no data on the presence of GMOs in fresh produce imported over the past 5 years

Subject : Polity

Section: National body

In the news:

• The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the country’s nodal food regulatory body, does not know if the fresh food produce imported in the past five years included genetically modified (GM) varieties. Neither does FSSAI have information on tests undertaken to check for the presence of such varieties.
• These are the findings of a Right To Information (RTI) investigation by Down To Earth (DTE).
• This raises questions about whether the fruit and vegetables sold currently in the country are free of GM varieties or not.

Genetically Modified Organism (GMO):

• When a new variety of plant is created by inserting in it the genes of another plant, organism or bacteria, the variety becomes a genetically modified organism (GMO).
• Since there is not enough data or research on the long-term impacts of GMO on human health, there is no unanimity in the scientific community on their regular consumption.
• Countries that has allowed the production of GM Crops:
  • Some 28 countries allow large-scale farming of these GMO crops.
  • In India, the Food Safety and Standards Act, of 2006, prohibits the import, manufacture, use or sale of GM food without FSSAI’s approval.
  • India has allowed the cultivation and import of only one GMO — cotton, a non-food crop. In 2022, India also allowed commercial cultivation of GM mustard, but the move has been challenged and is pending at the Supreme Court.

RTI quarry and response from FSSAI:

1. Do fresh fruit and vegetables imported to India include GM varieties;
   • FSSAI response: Notification of regulations for GM foods is pending and to ensure only non-GM crops are imported into the county, an Order dated 21.08.2020 and subsequent Orders have been issued regarding the Requirement of non-GM cum GM Free certificate accompanied with imported food consignments.”
   • It mandated that a non-GM-cum-GM-free certificate, issued by the exporting country’s “Competent National Authority” shall accompany every consignment of 24 food crops — alfalfa, apple, Argentina canola, egg plant, bean, chicory, cowpea, flax seed, maize, melon, papaya, pineapple, plum, Polish canola, potato, rice, safflower, soybean, squash, sugar beet, sugarcane, sweet pepper, tomato and wheat.
   • In another order, FSSAI permitted a “tolerance limit for adventitious presence” of GMOs in imported food crops at 1 per cent.
   • In a third order, FSSAI brought down the requirement of non-GM-cum-GM-free certificates from the exporting country’s “Competent National Authority” to “authorised regional government authorities”.
2. Have any tests been done to confirm the presence of GMOs in fruit and vegetables imported in the last five years under Food Safety and Standards (Import) Regulations, 2017;
   • FSSAI response: Required information is not available in this division
3. If fresh fruit and vegetables imported into India have been tested for GM, can a summary report be provided;
   • FSSAI response: No such information is available in this division.
4. List of exotic fruits and vegetables being imported to India, with the name of the exporting country.
   • FSSAI response: No such information is available in this division.

Consequences:

• India has no monitoring, surveillance or mechanism to ensure that genetically modified crops are not imported into the country. It even does not have adequate infrastructure to test for GMOs and only 2 per cent of food-testing laboratories in India can check for the presence of GM products.
• There has been a significant increase in India’s fruit and vegetable imports, especially from nations that produce GMO varieties.
• The US, Brazil and Argentina are the top three countries in terms of land under GMO cultivation. They are also major exporters of foods to India.
  • In 2018-2022, the US exported apples worth over Rs 1,811 crore to India. This is 17 per cent of the total apples imported by India in the period.
  • Argentina and Brazil are India’s top two sources of degummed soyabean oil in 2022-23. Overall, the import of fresh fruit and vegetables in India has increased by 25 per cent in the past decade.

Coalition for a GM-Free India:

• Established in 2006
• The Coalition for a GM-Free India is a loose, informal network of scores of organizations and individuals from across India, campaigning and advocating to keep India GM-Free and to shift our farming towards a sustainable path.
• Consisting of farmers’, consumers’, environmental, women’s and other organizations, this network is opposed to the environmental release of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) given the potential adverse health and environmental impacts, in addition to the fact that GMOs also are taking away valuable research and other resources from more lasting solutions.

Alliance for Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture (ASHA):

• Alliance for Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture or ASHA-Kisan Swaraj network is a volunteer-driven large informal network of organisations and individuals that initially came together in 2010 to organise a Kisan Swaraj Yatra, a nation-wide mobilisation to draw attention to issues pertaining to our FOOD, FARMERS, FREEDOM.
• The network consists of farmers’ organisations, consumer groups, women’s organisations, environmental organisations, individual citizens and experts who are committed to the cause of sustainable and viable farm livelihoods in rural India including ensuring that productive resources are in the control of farming communities and thereby, safe, nutritious, diverse and adequate food is available for all Indians.

Source: Down to Earth