Africa
Genetically modified food aid causes outrage

afrol News, 15 June - It has been proven that food donated to Latin America by USAID comprised of genetically modified maize StarLink, not authorised for human consumption anywhere in the world and banned in the US. This may now be distributed in drought affected Southern Africa, at the outrage of environmental and civil rights groups.

The environmental umbrella organisation Friends of the Earth - which had revealed the existence of genetically modified food aid - holds this is not helping the hungry but "destroying livelihoods". The unauthorised US and German exports of such grains showed that the biotech companies' genetic "technology is out of control"

The group recently had documented Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) contamination in food aid for Mexico. Here and in other Latin American countries, "the distribution of whole seed intended for consumption leads to planting in centres of origin, threatening local agricultural diversity. Further, corn seed sent as food aid to Guatemala has been confirmed to contain GMOs not authorized in the European Union. In Nicaragua the presence of GMOs was also confirmed in corn seed sent as food aid from Germany." 

Other discoveries of genetic contamination in food aid have also occurred in several Latin American countries in the last months. There have so far not been made investigations of the large-scale food donations made by the US to Southern Africa, mostly distributed through the World Food Programme (WFP). The Zimbabwean government however refused to accept a USAID two weeks ago as the US agency would not certify that the maize did not contain GMOs. The aid was redirected towards Zambia. 

Each year, more than two million tons of GMOs are sent by US foreign assistance to developing countries, according to Genetic Resources Action International. In addition, WFP distributes another one and a half million tons of transgenic crops donated by the US government. Although no tests have been made of food aid sent to Africa, it remains clear the GMOs are sent en masse to the continent; probably also GMOs not authorised for human consumption.

In Latin America, the disclosures meanwhile have led to protests by consumers, civil rights groups and environmentalists. "Food Aid programmes when used systematically in impoverished countries serve as instruments for the dumping of production surpluses from Northern countries, creating dependency and contributing to the destruction of local production," says Ana Lucia Bravo of the Ecuadorian environmental group Acción Ecológica. 

Concern is spreading after the disclosures. Also the development organisation Oxfam International said in a recent statement it condemned the distribution of food aid contaminated with Genetically Modified Organisms. "Genetically modified food aid may have negative effects for human health and livelihoods, and therefore it is counterproductive to its declared objectives," Oxfam said, adding that "introducing GMOs through food aid may have adverse effects on biodiversity, since part of it is used as seeds, contaminating local species."

Friends of the Earth meanwhile states its regrets that at the failed World Food Summit, "once again world agriculture and food policies are not addressing the real causes of hunger and instead remain locked in mythical policy solutions that have no chance of ever bringing benefits to the world's hungry." A clear example of a mythical solution to world hunger problems was biotechnology, the organisation stated.

According to Juan Lopez of the organisation, "The promises of the biotech companies are broken each time one of these contamination incidents happens. FAO should think twice before jumping into bed with biotechnology."

Sources: Based on env. organisations and afrol archives

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