Recently, there’s been some misinformation circulating about foods that contain biotech ingredients and regulations governing food labeling. Below, get the scientific facts on biotech food safety from the international science community:   

 1.       Biotech Foods are safe to eat

Biotech crops have been cultivated for more than 15 years, and food derived from agricultural biotechnology have been eaten by billions of people without any significant health problems. And, even before the introduction of biotech crops, nature has constantly modified crops as part of the natural balance of gene selection.

2.       The Leading Scientific authorities declare biotech crops are safe

The world’s top scientific authorities - such as the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization the World Health Organization, the National Research Council of the National Academies of Sciences, the American Medical Association and the American Dietetic Association have concluded that foods containing biotech ingredients pose no more risk to people than any other food.

3.       The U.S. authorities responsible for regulating biotech products declare they are safe

The Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Department of Agriculture and Environmental Protection will not approve biotech products until they are proven safe for human consumption and safe for the environment.

4.       Biotech Foods are “indistinguishable” from foods produced through traditional  methods

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) regulations state that requiring the labeling of foods that are indistinguishable from foods produced with biotech ingredients would mislead consumers by falsely implying differences where none exist.

For more information on biotech labeling, visit: http://www.bio.org/sites/default/files/200103biotech_ag_faq_1.pdf  and the FDA’s Guidance for Food Labeling

GM cotton enables women farmers in Colombia more economic independence

Women farmers in Colombia said the adoption of GM cotton has allowed them more economic independence, Science and Development Network reports. A study by the International Food Policy Research Institute found women farmers could save time and money on weeding and hiring male labor.  

Jonathan Gressel, a plant sciences professor at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, pointed out from the study, “The best way to empower developing world women is to get them out of weeding and into mainstream life - including schooling and commerce. The added value of [GM] is that it provides the women farmers even less dependence upon others.” Read the full study here.

Research shows Europe’s opposition to GM crops not based on sound science

Research from the University of Edinburgh in the UK finds that Europe’s restrictions on GM crops, despite adoption of the technology around the world, demonstrate regulation is not based on sound science.

Professor Joyce Tait of the University of Edinburgh’s ESRC Innogen Centre, who took part in the research, said, “At a time when an increasing number of people are living in hunger and climate change threatens crops, the system that regulates GM food sources ought to become more based on evidence.” Read more.