Nutrition firms urged to remove GMOs from infant products

MANILA, Philippines - Nutritional companies have been asked to remove genetically modified organisms (GMOs) from their products, especially in their infant formulas.

According to international campaign groups “As you Sow” and “Mamavation,” these companies most likely use GMO ingredients such as corn, sugar and soy in their products.

An open letter to top nutritional companies recently asked them “to take a proactive stand and announce a phaseout of all GMOs in infant formulas in 2013.”

GMO ingredients are derived from crops that have been genetically altered to internally produce pesticides or to be resistant to specific herbicides so that weed killers can be used more frequently and at higher doses.

The problem, however, is that these genetically altered foods have not been adequately tested for long-term human health or environmental safety. Foods that are genetically altered can involve risks of unknown toxins and allergens never before seen in humans.

Infants and children are especially most vulnerable to pesticide exposure because they have a less-developed immune system and they eat more food and drink more water pound for pound of body weight when compared to adults. Moreover, they have no control over their environment, specifically on what to eat or drink.

Pesticide exposure at such an early age can interfere with their neurological development and has been linked to child hood harms, including Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), autism and even cancer.

Studies have shown that one-third of all neuro-behavioral disorders such as autism, ADHD, hearing loss, and intellectual impairment are caused either directly by pesticides and other chemicals or by interaction between environmental exposure and genetics.

Other possible complications and health problems in children that can arise from pesticide exposure include childhood obesity and even cancer.

According to professor Vyvyan Howard, a medical toxico-pathologist from the United Kingdom, “… one of the most effective ways to reduce exposure to toxic substances is to eat organic food. It could be the single most useful thing a mother can do to give her baby a good start in life…”

Organic products are grown in soil tested to be free from pesticides and other harmful chemicals. Organic milk is from healthy cows free from growth-promoting hormones and antibiotics and graze freely on farms free from fertilizers and pesticides.

It is important to protect children from exposure to harmful substances that could affect their development and pose life-threatening risks to their health.

However, despite the clamor for removal of GMOs in their products, nutritional companies have declined to comply at present, saying they are still currently operating within all the standard laws and regulations when it comes to producing their products and choosing their ingredients.