•Kenya banned GMOs in 2012 after French study demonstrated rats fed lifetime diet of GMO corn suffered tumours. Study has been challenged.
•About 64 countries, including members of the European Union, China, and South Africa, require mandatory GM food labelling.
Image: ANDREW KASUKU
Cancer control groups have asked President William Ruto to suspend his directive allowing farming and import of genetically modified foods.
They say this will protect consumers who prefer organic foods.
According to most global standards, all foods labelled organic must not be genetically modified.
Kenya Network of Cancer of Organisations (Kenco) said the government must first establish systems that will protect farmers who grow organic crops and protect the rights of consumers who prefer organic foods.
“This will allow Kenyans to have a choice of foods, organic or GMOs, to choose from,” Kenco CEO Catherine Mugo-Sitati said in a statement on behalf of the groups.
Although genetically modified and organic crops can coexist side-by-side, there is often cross-pollination from insects, wind, and farmer error. These issues can cause some organic crops to be contaminated with GMOs.
Kenco said Article 46(1) of the Constitution protects consumers' rights, including the right to information necessary for them to gain full benefit from goods and services and protection of their health, safety and economic interests.
“We urge the government to include mandatory labelling of any foods that contain GM ingredients, while specifically listing those ingredients for the consumer. It will then be up to the consumer to make an informed choice of what to purchase and consume,” the statement state.
About 64 countries, including members of the European Union, China, and South Africa, require mandatory GM food labelling.
The cancer control groups said they were alarmed by the rush by President Ruto to lift the ban on October 4, saying it would dramatically improve food security because of higher yields and greater resistance to pests and drought.
Some want to play it safe
There’s no evidence that genetically modified foods can increase cancer risk in humans
“Inasmuch as this move was to address the persistent and frequent drought situation in and aims at increasing food production, the safety and environmental impact of using GMOs should not be underestimated,” they said.
“These repercussions should be urgently and concurrently addressed to avoid a rise in non-communicable diseases —cancer being one of them.”
There’s no evidence that genetically modified foods can increase cancer risk in humans.
Researchers in the US, where GM foods are more common, say they have not seen more cases of cancer linked to their introduction in the 1990s.
However, many people still prefer to eat organic foods because of health concerns.
Kenco also called for public education on genetically modified crops before Ruto’s directive is implemented.
“It is also important for the public to understand more on GMOs and what to expect with the new directives on GMOs,” they said.
They urged the government to regulate the use of herbicides in Kenya and promote the application of a mix of weed control measures.
Kenya announced a ban on GMOs on November 21, 2012, through a Cabinet memo.
Minister of Public Health Beth Mugo then ordered public health officials to remove all genetically modified (GM) foods on the market and to enforce a ban on GM imports.
This was after a study by French scientists demonstrated that rats fed a lifetime diet of Monsanto’s genetically modified corn or exposed to its top-selling weedkiller Roundup suffered tumours and severe liver and kidney damage.
The journal Food and Chemical Toxicology, which published the paper, retracted it in 2013 following condemnation by other researchers who said “the data were inconclusive, and therefore the conclusions described in the article were unreliable.”
The paper was republished in 2014 in the journal 'Environmental Sciences Europe,' although four other journals had offered to publish it.
(Edited by V. Graham)