FSSAI draft regulations on genetically modified (GM) Food

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Social activists working among farmers have come out against the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India’s (FSSAI) draft regulations on genetically modified (GM) food.

Major Highlights of Draft Regulations: 

• Labelling: FSSAI had proposed all food products having individual genetically engineered ingredients of 1% or more to be labelled as “Contains GMO/Ingredients derived from GMO”. 
• Prior Approval: The draft regulation states that “no person shall manufacture, store, distribute, sell or import in India, any food or food ingredient derived from Genetically Modified Organisms, except with the prior approval of the Food Authority.
• Procedure for granting prior approval.
• Food laboratory for genetically modified foods testing.
• The function of a foods laboratory for genetically modified foods testing.

What are FSSAI guidelines on GM Food? 

• FSSAI issued an order on February 8, 2021, setting the permissible limit for genetically modified organisms (GMO) in imported food crops at 1%. 
• It amounts to advocacy for zero presence of GMOs in food and some other consumables.

Activist’s Stand

• Activists claimed this as tacit approval to import GM food instead of prohibiting them and termed it “unacceptable”.
• Trade organisations have said that this threshold is unacceptably high. 
• Any kind of GM food in India is a threat to the health of our people, to our environment, and the diverse food cultures of India.

What are genetically modified seeds?

• Traditional method: 
  • Conventional plant breeding involves crossing species of the same genus to provide the offspring with the desired traits of both parents. 
• Genetic engineering method: 
  • Genetic engineering aims to transcend the genus barrier by introducing an alien gene in the seeds to get the desired effects. The alien gene could be from a plant, an animal or even a soil bacterium.
• GM crop allowed in India: 
  • Bt cotton, the only GM crop that is allowed in India, has two alien genes from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) that allows the crop to develop a protein toxic to the common pest pink bollworm. 
  • On the other hand, Bt cotton is derived with the insertion of an additional gene, from another soil bacterium, which allows the plant to resist the common herbicide glyphosate.
• Bt Brinjal: 
  • In Bt brinjal, a gene allows the plant to resist attacks of fruit and shoot borer.
• DMH 11 Mustard: 
  • In DMH-11 mustard, developed by Deepak Pental and colleagues in the South Campus of the University of Delhi, genetic modification allows cross-pollination in a crop that self-pollinates in nature.
• Global variants: 
  • Across the world, GM variants of maize, canola and soybean, too, are available.

Advantages of GM Crops

• It improves production and raises the farmer’s income. 
• It reduces the use of pesticides and insecticides during farming that might be great moves for the betterment of the food supply.
• It can feed a rapidly increasing population because it shows dramatically increased yields.
• It can produce more in small areas of land.

The legal position of genetically modified crops in India

• In India, the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) is the apex body that allows for the commercial release of GM crops. 
• In 2002, the GEAC had allowed the commercial release of Bt cotton. 
• More than 95 per cent of the country’s cotton area has since then come under Bt cotton. 
• Use of the unapproved GM variant can attract a jail term of 5 years and a fine of Rs 1 lakh under the Environmental Protection Act,1989.

Why are farmers rooting for GM crops?

• Reduced cost of production: In the case of cotton, farmers cite the high cost of the wedding, which goes down considerably if they grow Ht Bt cotton and use glyphosate against weeds. Brinjal growers in Haryana have rooted for Bt brinjal as it reduces the cost of production by cutting down on the use of pesticides.
• Currently being used illegally: Unauthorised crops are widely used. Haryana has reported farmers growing Bt brinjal in pockets which had caused a major agitation there. In June last year, in a movement led by Shetkari Sanghatana in Akola district of Maharashtra, more than 1,000 farmers defied the government and sowed Ht Bt cotton.

Apprehensions Regarding GM Crops

• Inadequate Safety Assessments: The current safety assessments are inadequate to catch most of the harmful effects from the GM crops. Moreover, the regulatory regime in India about GM crops has never been assessed thoroughly about the GM risk assessment in Indian conditions.
• Health Hazards: Several studies in Bt crops show that there are many potential health hazards. Itching skin, eruptions on the body, swollen faces, etc., have been reported, correlated with levels of exposure to Bt Cotton. 
• The decline in Fertility: Farmers from various parts of the country have reported a decline in their soil productivity after growing Bt Cotton. Many groups are also studying the decline in fertility and milk yield of cattle due to GM Cottonseed cattle feed.
• Pesticides Resistance: Apprehension has been expressed that the target pest would grow resistant to the Bt toxin with time. Not enough studies on soil ecology have been done to understand the impact of Bt toxin. 
• Pricing Policy: The pricing policy has also been questioned. Cost-recovery would be much higher for Bt seeds due to the research and marketing involved. 
• Patent & Litigation: Moreover, Patent infringement is a big concern of agribusiness. Litigation on the part of the company about pricing and use of GM seeds is not new. 

Way Ahead

• GM foods have the potential to solve many of the world’s hunger and malnutrition problems.
• It could help in protecting and preserving the environment by increasing yield and reducing reliance upon chemical pesticides. 
• At the same time, the challenges need to be addressed by governments, especially in the areas of safety testing, regulation, industrial policy and food labelling.

Sources: ET