In This Issue:
Views on
GMOs Vary among Asian Countries
Across
Asia, public sentiment about genetically modified organisms (GMO)
differ. On the one hand, Japan has shown alarm over the StarLink
maize controversy, where the product was found to have been present
in human food. On the other extreme, Thailand remains less affected
by the issues surrounding GMOs.
As reported
by Reuters, consumer sensitivity over gene-altered foods has been
very high in Australia in the last three years. Next year, Australia
as well as Japan and South Korea will implement strict labeling
rules. China may likewise introduce labeling requirements.
Michael
Dack, spokesman for the Australia New Zealand Food Authority, said
that its Food Standards Council has adopted the world's strictest
labeling rules. Food products will be eventually labeled for all
ingredients which contain novel DNA and/or protein in the final
product. Highly refined foods such as sugar and oil, food prepared
at the point of sale, food containing up to 1.0% of GM incidental
contamination, and flavorings with GM ingredients of up to 0.1%
of the food content are exempt.
Biotech
crop varieties approved for use in Australia are Ingard cotton,
carnations and Roundup Ready soybeans. Potatoes, soya, canola,
maize, cotton, and sugar beet are still to be assessed by ministers
on 24 November. South Korea's state-run Agricultural and Fishery
Marketing Cooperation (AFMC) has said products like maize, soybeans,
bean sprouts, and potato will be labeled in the future. The country
has yet to make official guidelines to approve biotech crop varieties
for local sales.
Meanwhile,
Thailand controls the import of GM products and does not give permission
for commercial sales in the country, said Chakarn Saengraksawong,
deputy director-general at the Agriculture Ministry's department
of agriculture. It allows only the import of GM maize to be used
in feed, and soybean for producing oil, Chakarn added.
A recent
survey conducted by the National Centre for Genetic Engineering
and Biotechnology revealed that more than 90% of 600 respondents
in Bangkok showed little concern about GMO products. Unlike the
experiences of other Asian countries whose policies on GMOs have
been affected by public opinion, Thailand is less pressured to
discuss guidelines on labeling or detailing GMO content in products.
Biotech 'Can
Improve African Food Production'
At a
recent workshop held in Ghana, the Deputy Undersecretary in the
U.S. Department of Agriculture, James Schroeder, said that Washington
would support African scientists to use biotechnology to achieve
food security and reduce poverty.
Schroeder
told participants at the meeting, "USDA is committed to a
long-term strategy to support research and technical assistance
aimed at improving African food production and security. Biotechnology
to improve African food production ad security must play a role
in this strategy."
The
workshop, entitled "Enabling Biotechnology for African Agriculture," was
organized jointly by the USDA, the Council for Scientific and Industrial
Research, and several international institutions. Over 100 scientists,
agriculturists, policy makers and other professionals from Ghana,
U.S., Kenya, Mexico, Tanzania, Uganda, South Africa, Nigeria, Cameroon,
and Cote d'Ivoire attended the workshop.
Schroeder
said biotechnology offers the opportunity for meeting the global
food needs of the growing population, especially those who suffer
malnutrition and hunger. "While sub-Saharan Africa is projected
to account for only 25% of the world's population in 2008, the
region is expected to account for nearly 80% of the nutrition gap
(domestic supply and minimum gap)," he added.
In a
statement the workshop participants said that safe and well-managed
application of biotechnology would reduce poverty and solve food
and nutrition deficiency problems in Africa. They, however, stressed
the need to address the concerns of critics about the safety of
some genetically modified organisms and their negative impact on
the environment. Africa's strength to adopt the technology for
her benefit was also considered.
The
participants pledged to address concerns about GMOs by improving
public awareness on the benefits and challenges of biotechnology,
and strengthening research and building capacity of scientists,
especially Africans, to develop safe and beneficial tools. They
called for social and economic analysis of the impact of biotechnology
on the citizenry of beneficiary countries while policy and regulatory
frameworks are properly developed.
"Networking
is important to avoid duplication. There should be transparency
of activities to build trust. We need to share information, resources,
and communicate effectively to make good decisions," they
added.
Vietnam May
Benefit from Indian Biotech
India
has suggested that Vietnam could use skills and knowledge that
it has developed in biotechnology.
India's
External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh met with Vietnamese President
Tran Duc Luong and Prime Minister Phan Van Khai recently and offered
India's expertise in this field and others as part of a bilateral
agreement. Singh also told Vietnamese representatives about his
country's interactions with the U.S. and Russia.
Pakistan
and China are to collaborate in areas including agricultural biotechnology,
under the recently signed 15th S&T Cooperation Protocol Agreement.
Hong Kong
Proposes GM Food Labeling Guidelines.
Mounting
consumer and media pressure in Hong Kong has set the pace for proposed
guidelines on labeling of genetically modified (GM) foods. According
to a report recently released by the US Department of Agriculture
(USDA), this development may lead to US suppliers being requested
by Hong Kong importers or retailers to report whether their food
products contain GM ingredients. The Hong Kong Food and Environmental
Hygiene Department (FEHD) has proposed guidelines on voluntary
labeling of GM food. The guidelines are now with the Hong Kong
Retail Management Association for comments.
The
USDA believes that this first effort at voluntary labeling will
be used to gauge the industry's response, test its practicality
and eventually improve the government's next policy formulation
on GM foods.
.While Taiwan
May Postpone GM Labeling
The
Taiwan government is considering a proposal that complete labeling
of genetically modified (GM) foods should be postponed for five
years. According to press reports, the Taiwan health department
is debating whether to adopt voluntary labeling for the next 3
to 5 years. Industry representatives had asked for a delay in detailed
labeling of all food products.
Chen
Lu-hung, deputy director of the Taiwan health department's Bureau
of Food Sanitation, is cited as saying, "The industry representatives..proposed
a postponement to complete labeling on GMO foods in 2001. They
said it was too soon to be prepared..They proposed such a grace
period, but we have not decided how long it should be. But we will
impose compulsory labeling after the period.
Initially,
Taiwan's health authority had planned to complete detailed guidelines
for labeling GMO foods and draft regulations that would require
GMO farm products to meet government safety standards by the end
of 2000.
The
food industry is concerned that the relevant safety standards and
the testing technology is still far from complete. Also at issue
is the way in which labeling is required. Taiwan's industry representatives
would like a labeling standard based on the amount of GM material
in a product. In the European Union, the threshold is set at 1%
of total ingredients. In Taiwan, the industry had suggested a 5%
labeling threshold. |
