Greenpeace raises alarm on RP market food products

Food products sold in local markets and corn being grown in farms in the country may possibly be contaminated, according to the admission of a Swiss biotechnology company that mistakenly sold hundreds of tons of the wrong genetically engineered (GE) maize to the United States over the past four years.

"It is highly possible that this unauthorized strain of GE maize has already reached our farms and dinner plates in the Philippines. The Philippines imports significant amounts of corn products and seeds from the US without any mechanisms to ensure the segregation of GE corn from non-GE corn seeds and food products," Danny Ocampo, spokesman for the international environment watchdog Greenpeace, said yesterday.

According to Greenpeace, Syngenta allegedly distributed unauthorized insect-resistant maize Bt10, instead of the GE maize Bt11, which is planted in a number of countries around the world, including the Philippines, despite widespread public opposition.

But instead of immediately informing farmers and consumers about the discovery, which was made last year, Syngenta allegedly entered into secret talks with the US government as to how they should tell the public.

Quoting an article in a US-based magazine Nature, Greenpeace said US regulators only considered whether the Bt10 maize was safe for human consumption in late 2004 after authorities were informed.

Ocampo pointed out that for four years, consumers eating products containing GE corn may have also eaten some Bt10, which is completely untested for environmental or food safety. It is not yet clear what food safety testing, if any, was done on Bt10, he added.

Until now, Syngenta refuses to reveal what other countries may have received the seeds, Ocampo said. It is also unknown which countries received exports of the unapproved maize from the US, the volume of the maize exported, and how much were used in manufactured food products.

"Syngenta, like the other biotechnology companies, will always do their best to mislead the public into believing that adequate measures can be put into place to prevent the accidental release of unapproved GE crops into the environment and food supply. This case clearly debunks that claim as an empty boast on the part of the biotech industry," Ocampo said.

Several years ago, field trials of Bt11 were conducted in the Philippines and the government allowed commercial growing of it last year despite opposition from farmers and environmentalists.

A GE variety of corn by Aventis that was not approved for human consumption, known as Starlink, was also found in food products in the United States, Greenpeace added.

Starlink was only approved for animal feed because it was feared that it could be a human allergen. This resulted in a recall of millions of dollars worth of food products from the shelf.

Greenpeace reiterated its call for the government to order a moratorium on the commercial growing of all GE crops, fearing an irreversible contamination of conventional crops by genetically modified organisms may have already happened in the country.

It further urged the government to immediately order a recall of all products containing Bt10 maize, and that all fields growing GE maize that may be contaminated with Bt10 be destroyed, with compensation given to farmers.

"Our government has always tried to follow in the footsteps of the US and our government officials claim that we should join the biotechnology bandwagon. However, this case clearly exposes the government’s utter inability to safeguard our environment and food supply against these kinds of unwanted assaults," Ocampo said.