Why are GM foods not labelled in South Africa?

(First published in the South African Journal of Natural Medicine in May 2008.)

Most people know that genetically modified (GM) foods have insinuated their way onto the market over the past decade. What most people don't know, and research shows that they would like to know, is which foods are GM and which are not.

Firstly, the good news. Presently no fruit or vegetables on the South African market are GM besides sweetcorn, and even the latter is not usually GM. Work is being done on some vegetables, like potatoes, that may enter the market in future. If this occurs there is bound to be a lot more opposition than there has been to the present commodity crops that have snuck in without much notice.

The question, of course, is how these now ubiquitous foods got onto the market without being labelled. How have the companies that developed them managed to prevent us from identifying them?

The first answer to this question is that they have managed to avoid labelling through absolute subterfuge. This subterfuge is known as 'substantial equivalence'. Substantial equivalence is a concept that has no scientific foundation. It was a concept presented by the gene giants, the massive corporations that stand to profit by presenting GM crops as a supposed saviour of humanity.

In short, substantial equivalence says that if a crop has been genetically modified and if it has been shown (usually by its developer) to not exhibit characteristics that differ significantly from those of tits natural counterparts, then these crops are deemed substantially equivalent. It's a nice confusing way of saying that they are almost the same, but not quite.

This is an interesting stance because the gene giants have also managed to convince the authorities that their products are so unique that they can be patented. So these products are somehow simultaneously unique, yet identical to natural plants. Of course this makes no sense at all. Which pretty much summarises the entire debate around the labelling of GM foods – it makes no sense at all.

Just imagine you had invented a new variety of food. Imagine you touted it as unique, better, improved, the safest food ever produced, more widely tested than any other food on earth – all claims made by this industry. Had you managed to produce this food, would there have been no temptation to, at the very least, label this stuff so that it stands out above its natural counterparts? One would think so. But no, this industry insists on hiding its light under a bushel because it has hoodwinked us all into believing that this food is almost identical and therefore does not need to be labelled. How outrageous can you get?

Let's ignore the majority of consumers who indicate that they would like to have labelling. Never mind that even those who support the use of GM crops would like to have these products labelled.

How did this all occur? Again, through subterfuge and what is known as the revolving door (www.mindfully.org/GE/Revolving-Door.html). Monsanto, previously a chemical company but as of 2006 the world's biggest seed company, placed its people in the highest positions of office in the USA in order to write the laws to suit its own ends. If you want to read more about this there is an excellent report in a book called Seeds of Deception by Geoffrey Smith, which sets out in meticulous detail how this was managed. His latest book, Genetic Roulette, sets out the dangers of GM products.

The power of corporate interests and just how far their networks reach has been well documented. It was not only in the USA that influence was brought to bear. South Africa has one of the widest rates of adoption of GM crops, mainly because of their suitability to industrial monoculture agricultural models, which has enabled farmers to reduce labour inputs while customers bear the consequences.

The main reason why GM technology was adopted here so rapidly was because this industry has run a highly effective campaign of misinformation and deception, just as it did in the USA, both directly and through front organisations like AfricaBio. These groups have even gone so far as to ensure that our legislation states that 'the user' shall be held responsible for any negative effects of GM crops. That's you and me folks! And it's only coincidence they aren't labelled, right?
From the outset there has been a concerted campaign by consumers to label GM-derived food products. But this has been undermined by government complicity with the lobbyists every step of the way. In fact our labelling regulations make it illegal to label any food GM-free, even if it has been shown to be free of GM ingredients!

Why? Well because GM foods are substantially equivalent, or as the regulations say here, they 'do not differ substantially from natural varieties'. Now you know.

Some retailers have attempted to institute labelling, at great cost. From the outset Woolworths has labelled any foods that it has found may contain GM ingredients or constituents. Because of the labelling constraints Woolworths marks the food with a small note stating that it 'may contain GM ingredients'. One line of products that is being increasingly labelled is milk products free of the GM hormone recombinant bovine growth hormone.

Some individual sellers have labelled their produce, but again, random testing has shown traces of GM contamination in their products. This may be infinitesimal but it demonstrates the potential for cross-contamination with GM products. This is precisely what the industry wants. 'Contaminate everything and you will have no choice', as a US trade representative was reported to have said during the World Summit on Sustainable Development. What considerate folk!

The rest of the local retailers, large millers and food distributors have generally followed the government line and have either refused (or offered appalling excuses) to not label their home brands or other produce that they stock. If they are not prepared to pick up the bat for the consumer, then who is?

This is why SAFeAGE, an umbrella organisation opposed to GM contamination, is running a campaign for labelling of GM foods in South Africa. SAFeAGE's membership is drawn from a wide cross-section of groups, including faith-based, labour, NGOs and the public at large. They are putting pressure on retailers and grocery suppliers to label foods if GM ingredients are included.

Millions of people around the world are eating GM foods. The industry claims that nobody has died or become ill as a result of eating them – but how do they know?
If GM products are unlabelled, unmarked and untraceable, there is absolutely no way to make the claim that these foods are safe and have caused no negative effects. It is another outrageous, unscientific and unsubstantiated claim by an industry that has a dubious track record, having produced products like DDT, dioxins, Polychlorinated Biphenals and Agent Orange.

So it's up to all of us to take up the challenge. SAFeAGE already has the support of 3.5 million people. If you would like to be informed and have your voice heard, then go to their website and get involved.

It's time to say enough is enough. There is increasing proof that GM foods are not as safe as has been claimed. Dozens of potential dangers are emerging from increased study of these products. So it's over to you, folks; make your voices heard and vote with your wallets!


WHAT CROPS ARE GM?
White maize, yellow maize, soy, cotton, milk products from cows treated with the GM hormone rBST.

Notably we have the first GM staple food in the world here with GM maize, both white and yellow. Whereas most maize is eaten in highly processed forms in developed nations (as cornstarch, thickener, corn syrup, corn oil, etc.), in South Africa it is eaten largely unadulterated in either finely or coarsely ground form. White maize is the staple of the majority of the population, and given concerns about the safety of GM foods, our government has permitted a massive experiment on our people through allowing unlabelled GM maize onto the marketplace.

Yellow maize is mainly used for fodder but some may find its way into the sweetcorn market, although this is of an extremely limited nature. Products like corn flakes and polenta may be contaminated.

The other primary GM crop is soy or soya. This is mainly eaten in a processed form here, either as meat substitutes or as food additives such as emulsifiers and lecithin.

The other GM crop that is fairly widely grown is cotton. Although we do not eat cotton, the seed is turned into oil, which finds its way into the market as vegetable oil.

We may also import GM canola oil – local canola is not GM.



HOW ARE CROPS GENETICALLY MODIFIED?
Crops are modified in two main ways. The first is by making plants resistant to caterpillars and worms through inserting genes from a soil bacterium, Bacillus thurengensis or Bt. There are numerous varieties of this bacterium, so numerous events or types of GM have been made to crops like maize and cotton, to various crops, using different varieties of this bacterium.

The other major modification is by making crops resistant to herbicides or weed killer chemicals. This mainly involves two major herbicides, namely glyphosate and glufosinate. Both of these chemicals have serious adverse health effects (, providing a double jeopardy to this particular form of GM. The most widely grown GM crop, GM soy, is primarily of this variety.

Besides these genetic introductions, artificial genes, antibiotic marker genes, viral genes and several random snippets of gene are often added or scrambled into the mix. In fact, what is presented as an accurate and precise technological method of altering plants is in fact a highly unpredictable series of changes to the natural order.

Resources
1. Useful further information on labelling in South Africa is available on www.safeage.org
2. For more on up-to-the minute scandals on GM crops and food visit www.gmwatch.org
3. For some hard science on GM crops and where this technology is heading visit www.scidev.net