Genetic Engineering and Food Safety
Home

Genetic Engineering and Food Safety About 70% of all processed food in US supermarkets is genetically engineered & shy; from pasta to sauces, cakes and chocolates. This article focuses on the issues concerning the production and use of genetically modified (GM) crops and their effects on our collective health and the environment. Hazards of Genetically Engineered Food Fire In The Cotton Fields Photo courtesy: Greenpeace Noted environmental journalist, Keya Acharya looks into the much-discussed Bt cotton field trials being undertaken in Karnataka. What is of significance is that there are very successful trials (12 quintals/ acre yield) of non Bt, indigenous hybrid varieties being conducted at UAS, that are less susceptible to pests because of their indigenous strength, she observes. Genetic Engineering: a disoriented priority GE crops have come to bring more profits to big companies not to common farmers. They have come to make it easy for the trade not for the consumers. Even at the cost of losing original variety, at the cost of contamination, at the cost of farmers, health, and environment. Social activist Sharada Gopal elucidates this emerging situation. Bt cotton: for whose benefit? The Government consent to the commercial cultivation of Bt cotton has initiated a nationwide debate. Concerns are growing over the controversial decision, which leaves many questions unanswered. Implications of the green signal to Bt cotton are not too clear. But one thing is obvious; the so-called boll worm resistant cotton varieties will trap the farmers in the net of BT firms. For whose cause are we playing with the future of the country?

Home