DID YOU KNOW that the Indian government is gearing up to allow Genetically Modified (GM) foods despite studies showing adverse impacts on health and food safety? SIGN THE PETITION

In different studies, GM foods were found to cause health problems like allergies, immune system impairment, stunted growth and development, organ damage, reproductive health impacts and even pre-cancerous growths etc. 

A majority of countries around the world have not accepted GM crop cultivation, and GM food crops are not allowed to be grown in India also precisely because they are not deemed to be safe for environment and health. Bt Brinjal, GM mustard etc haven't been allowed due to strong concerns and evidence presented by citizens and scientists, despite a big push by MNCs like Monsanto. Why then is the government moving to allow (import of) GM foods by framing weak new regulations by FSSAI?

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the apex food safety regulator, is trying to allow GM foods through the backdoor by putting out draft regulations that are absolutely weak, and are not worth the name! The Food Authority has not specified any testing regime that will allow the regulator to know whether some food is safe or not. It has not specified how it will keep out industry interests and other conflict of interest elements from creeping into decision-making. It has not even specified who will take decisions, and how. 

We need to stand up, SIGN HERE to protect our own health and that of unaware Indians who will be made into laboratory animals in an irresponsible and irreversible experiment on us, with these GM foods. Further, let us make sure that there is adequate time provided to all citizens who want to engage with this issue. This is about our health and the health of our children. Help us in letting the Food Authority know that their draft regulations will simply not do, and we want our food chain to be free of GM foods.   

Sincerely,
Ananthoo, Rajesh Krishnan and Usha Soolapani

Sustainable Agriculture & Safe Food Enthusiasts

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LETTER TEXT TO THE AUTHORITY

To:
Chief Executive Officer,
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI),
FDA Bhawan, New Delhi.

Dear Sir,

For decades now, Indian citizens have been struggling to ensure that our food and farming systems are free of genetically modified organisms and products thereof (GMOs and GM products). Where regulators have failed miserably, by putting pressure on elected governments, citizens have been able to ensure through their public campaigns and citizen movements, that hazardous GMOs like Bt brinjal and GM mustard did not get approved for commercial cultivation in the country. 

With FSSAI too, we have struggled to make sure that the regulator fulfills its main mandate and duty of ensuring safe and wholesome food for all citizens. FSSAI did not ensure that clandestine GM food imports did not take place, until citizen pressure finally forced it to issue some interim notification making GM-Free Certification mandatory for some 24 crops. Even now, processed GM foods are not being regulated by FSSAI, despite the Authority submitting in the Supreme Court that in the absence of regulations, such food is not permitted in the country. The institutional mechanisms set up by FSSAI to look into GM foods are laden with conflict of interest and civil society groups have pointed this out in the past. What FSSAI has done and has not done so far on the GM foods regulation front is dismal and does not inspire any confidence.

Now, FSSAI has come out with draft regulations that clearly pave way for easy entry of unsafe, unwanted and unneeded GM foods onto citizen’s plates. What is more, industry was asked to give its views before citizens were asked to provide their feedback! This is clearly dangerous, especially for the malnourished in India, apart from other vulnerable populations. These draft regulations have been created without any attention paid to citizen preferences in the country. 

We now write to you to state the following unambiguously:

Citizens of the country do not want GM foods, labeled or unlabeled - FSSAI’s regulations should ensure this;

Nearly all state governments are against GM foods in particular, and GMO cultivation in general - FSSAI’s regulations should ensure that such policy positions are respected;

Labeling at 1% threshold level is a violation of the citizen’s right to know and right to informed choices, and mandatory labeling should kick in at 0.01% adventitious presence;

FSSAI should make sure that regulation from its side should basically prevent clandestine imports of GM foods into India, and take stringent action against violators.

The only regulatory regime that we would like to see in place is FSSAI having rigorous surveillance over GM foods - which are all unauthorised as of now as FSSAI itself admitted in the Supreme Court of India, and which is how it ought to be in future too - and ensuring that no GM foods are present in our food chain. FSSAI’s regulations should allow citizen complaints to be looked into and ascertained about illegal GM foods, and grievance redressal should be prompt and time bound.

We also demand that the timeline for collecting feedback from citizens be extended,  and ensure that all citizens who want to engage with this issue get an opportunity to do so in a reasonable fashion. 

We conclude by saying that FSSAI should put into place regulations that will ensure that Indians are not made into laboratory rats in any irresponsible and irreversible experiment with GM foods by way of domestic production or imports of GM foods. 

Sincerely,

Citizen Name