GM Food labeling assures freedom of choice
Hemantha Withanage
Centre for Environmental Justice
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
labelling 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 conjunction 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 labelling 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.
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