Anette Martinsen | Genetically modified food

Half the time it is impossible to find out and you would think that, by just reading the label you could avoid genetically modified (GM) food, this however is untrue. In the U.K the shops and supermarkets are now required by law to clearly label food containing GM ingredients such as soya and maize as a main ingredient, but because the relatively new law excludes GM food derivatives, such as lecithin (from soya), starch, glucose and dextrose (from maize, foods that contain these ingredients do not need to be labelled. The same goes for emulsifiers found in cakes, bread, chocolate, crisps, animal feed and vegetable oils.

In many countries for example Norway GM food is banned totally, Cyprus however has no law barring GM foods. Some years ago GM tomato and potato seeds found their way into Cyprus and were planted so today you are probably eating GM food without even knowing it! The Department of Agriculture Animal Husbandry has said that the Petra tomato is indeed genetically modified and it is grown here in Cyprus, all over Europe and the U.S.

Genetic modification is a set of techniques used to select a gene for a specific desired trait in a plant or animal and transfer it into another plant or animal. For example a gene, which makes a plant resistant to a particular pest, can be selected and transferred to a second plant, making the new crop also resistant to that pest.

In 1999 a professor at the Rowett Research Institute in Aberdeen claimed his research showed that rats that were given GM potatoes, sustained damage to their immune system and internal organs, but unfortunately his studies were gagged. The need for more research into the effects GM food has on humans is needed, before more enters the food chain. Major political heads such as Tony Blair in the UK, says that there is no scientific evidence to justify a GM food ban and in doing so would harm ‘an important new industry’, that would be fine if there was proof that it did no harm to humans.

Organic standards ban the use of GM organisms in organic food, so when you buy organic food, you can be sure that that NO GM ingredients would have been used in the production of the food at any stage. There are also many brand names and supermarkets that have taken action against GM food. Frozen food chain Iceland was the first one to guarantee that there are no GM ingredients in their own brand products. You can purchase Iceland products in the freezer section of Orphanides where they have a large selection of frozen organic vegetables such as mushrooms, diced onions, sliced carrots, carrots and swede mixed, corn, corn on the cob, green beans, cabbage, spinach, broccoli, peas and petit pois. Perhaps someone should consider opening a franchise of the shop here.

By August 1st any foods carrying the Vegetarian Society symbol must be GM free, except for the vegetarian cheese produced by using cymosin (GM derived). Recent evidence suggests that some organic products contain GM traces, this is probably due to cross-contamination by GM crops during the growing, transportation or manufacturing stage of soya.

Pros and cons of GM foods

Some of the main arguments from both sides are presented here.

For		Against
GM manipulation is said to boost vitamins and lower fat contents of foods. Crops can be made drought and pest resistant and thus ease famine in developing countries. Stringent regulations are in place to test GM Foods, so it is unlikely that they are harmful.		It is ethically and morally wrong to play God with nature. Increased use of pesticides will reduce the number of insects and wild flower seeds for birds to eat, which can lead to the extinction of some species. We don’t know what the long- term effects are on people, animals, or the environment.

Friends of the Earth Cyprus are actively involved in demanding the ban of GM food in Cyprus, they have campaigned in the streets using a huge ‘bee’, held talks and lectures and given out press releases. They also produce a quarterly newsletter called ‘Link’ with all the latest information.

Ask your supermarket/retailer to stop buying GM products and buy only organic products.