Hemantha Withanage
All food items that contain Genetically Modified ingredients will carry a prominent sticker in near future informing that the product contains GM materials, giving the consumer the freedom of choice. This is a requirement under the regulations made by the Minister of Healthcare and Nutrition under section 32 of the Food Act No. 26 of 1980 published in Gazette Extra-ordinary 1456/22 dated 2006 August 03 . Defaulters of this law will have to face a six-month jail term or a Rs. 10,000 fine or both.
These regulations shall come into operation on 1st January 2007. Under these regulations no person shall, import, store, transport, distribute, sell or offer for sale - (a) any genetically modified organism as food for human consumption; (b) any food containing or consisting of genetically modified organisms; (c) any food produced from or containing ingredients produced from genetically modified organisms; without the approval of the Chief Food Authority. Any food or ingredients used in the preparation of food as is referred to in regulation, shall not - (a) be injurious to the health of the consumer; (b) differ nutritionally to the disadvantage of the consumer as opposed to the nutritional value of food or food ingredients consumed normally by such consumer. Any person who intends to import store, sell or offer for sale the food or the ingredients used in the preparation of food as is referred to in regulation shall submit an application to the Authority. Where the application has been approved and permission granted the applicant shall be permitted to place the product in the market subject to appropriate labeling of the product. The label on or attached to a package of genetically modified food or food ingredients used in the preparation of good must include the statement ‘genetically modified’ in conjuntion with the name of that food or ingredients used in the preparation of food, or processing aid irrespective of the size of the label or package.
GM Food is a scientific novelty. It is under going a debate whether the food items produced using genetically engineered material are suitable for human consumption. However, there are hundreds of plants and animals including Tomato, Corn, Soya, Rice, Potato, fish species have been genetically modified during last two decades. Cheese, chocolates, cereal and many processed foods also include genetically engineered materials. Without any doubt they are available in the Sri Lankan market. Banning and labelling are the two options available to regulate these unknown products. United States, Australia, and many European countries have already introduced labeling legislations while some countries have banned certain items. However, Sri Lankan experience for banning GM food is a tragic. GM food ban brought by the Ministry of Health and Indigenous Medicine in 2001 was postponed and suspended by the then government due to the pressure from the United States, Australia and New Zealand governments. They threatened that if the regulations come into effect it will be taken to the World Trade Organisation compliance mechanism.
Labelling regulations prepared by the Food Advisory Committee in 2002 was again put on hold due to this pressure. New regulations were gazetted as requested by the Centre for Environmental Justice in its Writ application No.1380/06, Withanage Vs Consumer Affairs Authority and others filed on 4th May 2005.
The labelling may not be the best option in considering the potential harm and incompletely recognized long term health impacts of the GM food. Nevertheless, labelling provide an opening for the consumers to know what is in their food. However, this is essential to be well-informed consumers. It requires the consumer discipline to read the label and decide before they purchase any food item. There is no doubt that Sri Lankan Government is again under pressure from the GM producing countries and the importers to postpone the implementation of these regulations. It is said that both Ministry of Healthcare & Nutrition and Ministry of Trade & Consumer affairs are subjected to this pressure. Therefore it is the duty of all citizens to ask the government as to take all steps to implement the law as scheduled by the regulations.
( This article was appeared in Daily Mirror on 22nd December 2006)
These regulations shall come into operation on 1st January 2007. Under these regulations no person shall, import, store, transport, distribute, sell or offer for sale - (a) any genetically modified organism as food for human consumption; (b) any food containing or consisting of genetically modified organisms; (c) any food produced from or containing ingredients produced from genetically modified organisms; without the approval of the Chief Food Authority. Any food or ingredients used in the preparation of food as is referred to in regulation, shall not - (a) be injurious to the health of the consumer; (b) differ nutritionally to the disadvantage of the consumer as opposed to the nutritional value of food or food ingredients consumed normally by such consumer. Any person who intends to import store, sell or offer for sale the food or the ingredients used in the preparation of food as is referred to in regulation shall submit an application to the Authority. Where the application has been approved and permission granted the applicant shall be permitted to place the product in the market subject to appropriate labeling of the product. The label on or attached to a package of genetically modified food or food ingredients used in the preparation of good must include the statement ‘genetically modified’ in conjuntion with the name of that food or ingredients used in the preparation of food, or processing aid irrespective of the size of the label or package.
GM Food is a scientific novelty. It is under going a debate whether the food items produced using genetically engineered material are suitable for human consumption. However, there are hundreds of plants and animals including Tomato, Corn, Soya, Rice, Potato, fish species have been genetically modified during last two decades. Cheese, chocolates, cereal and many processed foods also include genetically engineered materials. Without any doubt they are available in the Sri Lankan market. Banning and labelling are the two options available to regulate these unknown products. United States, Australia, and many European countries have already introduced labeling legislations while some countries have banned certain items. However, Sri Lankan experience for banning GM food is a tragic. GM food ban brought by the Ministry of Health and Indigenous Medicine in 2001 was postponed and suspended by the then government due to the pressure from the United States, Australia and New Zealand governments. They threatened that if the regulations come into effect it will be taken to the World Trade Organisation compliance mechanism.
Labelling regulations prepared by the Food Advisory Committee in 2002 was again put on hold due to this pressure. New regulations were gazetted as requested by the Centre for Environmental Justice in its Writ application No.1380/06, Withanage Vs Consumer Affairs Authority and others filed on 4th May 2005.
The labelling may not be the best option in considering the potential harm and incompletely recognized long term health impacts of the GM food. Nevertheless, labelling provide an opening for the consumers to know what is in their food. However, this is essential to be well-informed consumers. It requires the consumer discipline to read the label and decide before they purchase any food item. There is no doubt that Sri Lankan Government is again under pressure from the GM producing countries and the importers to postpone the implementation of these regulations. It is said that both Ministry of Healthcare & Nutrition and Ministry of Trade & Consumer affairs are subjected to this pressure. Therefore it is the duty of all citizens to ask the government as to take all steps to implement the law as scheduled by the regulations.
( This article was appeared in Daily Mirror on 22nd December 2006)
