World Food Day Report: “Fed Up with FSANZ* allowing GM in our food”- unlabelled, unethical, unwanted.

*Food Standards Australia New Zealand

Almost all processed foods contain GM (GE) ingredients but shoppers are in the dark as most GM-derived ingredients escape labelling, says a report by Mothers Are Demystifying Genetic Engineering (MADGE) launched today.

The report, which details numerous tests raising health concerns while our food regulator FSANZ continues to let GM foods into Australia and New Zealand, will be launched to mark World Food Day in Melbourne, Perth and Wellington.

Food Standards Australia New Zealand recommends GM crops for approval based on studies done by GM companies like Dow and Monsanto. FSANZ recently approved a herbicide tolerant GM corn that has been sprayed with the weedkiller 2,4-D. This application included no feeding studies on the GM corn to see if it was safe for eating.

“The only life time (700 days) toxicity animal study on GM food was released last month (Seralini et al 2012). It showed increased illness and death in rats fed a GM corn (NK603) and/or Roundup.

"We spend our lives trying to avoid foods that will cause us harm, and government has a duty to ensure this remains possible," says Claire Bleakley, president of GE-free NZ (in food and environment).

"With the advent of GE foods this right has been taken away, with contamination being forced onto conventional and organic producers everywhere."

This global process is a threat to the integrity of the food supply and food security.

Research by the International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD) shows that it is the alternatives to GE crops that are needed to meet the food needs of the growing population and provide world food security.

“Feeding the world is an economic and social challenge" says Jon Carapiet, national spokesman for GE-Free NZ in food and environment. Unsafe food and increased use of chemical sprays on GE crops adds to the burden of disease and environmental degradation.”

It is unethical and unscientific for FSANZ to continue assuming GM is safe on the basis of patchy data provided by the GM companies themselves.. Regulators appear to have a double standard of accepting GM company science without comment but fiercely attacking independent science that is published in peer-reviewed journals, whenever it contradicts their pre-conceived view of safety.

The MADGE Report: “”Fed Up with FSANZ” is being launched in Australia in Melbourne, Perth and in Wellington, New Zealand.

Details of events:

Wellington, NZ:

Place: the MPI office on 25 The Terrace

Time: 12.15pm start of a walk to FSANZ and then Parliament where a dossier will be presented to the Minister of Health

Contact GE-Free New Zealand 021 0507681 info@gefree.org.nz

Melbourne, Vic:

Place: The Pavillion Café, Fitzroy Gardens, East Melbourne

Time: 2-3pm

Contact: Jessica Harrison 0407 307 231 or Fran Murrell 0401 407 944

Perth, WA:

Place: The Bodhi Tree, Cnr Oxford St and Scarborough Beach Road, Mt Hawthorn

Time: 12.30-1.30pm

ends

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