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afrol News, 1 June - While Zimbabwe currently is experiencing severe food shortages caused by drought and political unrest, the government has refused to accept a donation of 10,000 tons of maize from the United States on the suspicion it may be genetically modified. US officials yesterday reported that the food aid had been turned away by the Zimbabwean government. "Zimbabwe did not waive its requirement that entering commodities must be certified not of genetically modified origin, or non-GMO," the US Embassy in Harare said in a statement, adding that about 34,400 tons of US food aid has already been provided. The Embassy informed that the maize donation - which was being distributed through the World Food Programme (WFP) - would instead be sent to neighbouring Zambia, also suffering severe food shortages. While the decision not to accept the US food donation was harshly cririsiced by the Zimbabwean opposition - claiming the government is using food as a political weapon - environmental organisations agree with the Zimbabwean government. Evidence is increasing that the the US Agency for International Development (USAID) is distributing genetically modified food as a part of its food aid programmes. These types of modifications are not approved for human consumption in a majority of the world's countries and could further damage local plant varieties if used as seeds. Consumer and environment groups in Latin America only last year found food aid to contain genetically modified ingredients. Samples of food aid originating in the US and distributed by programmes in Latin America were sent to Genetic ID, an independent laboratory in the US. The tests found levels of genetically modified organisms in soya and maize to be as high as 90 percent; causing an outrage in recipient countries. USAID last month announced it had responded to the food crisis in Southern Africa by "providing 95,000 metric tons of food assistance to the region, valued at US$ 50 million." 80,000 metric tons of this assistance was to be channelled through the WFP, the agency stated. This has not been certified as free from genetic modifications as requested by the Zimbabwean government.
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