Products seized, sent for GE tests
Following a report in these columns on Friday, Telangana Food Safety Department officials conducted searches in city supermarkets and seized genetically engineered food products imported from the United States and Canada in violation of rules.
Assistant food controller K. Balaji Raju and food safety officer E. Sudharshan Reddy collected samples of imported GE products including those under the General Mills’ brand.
Mr Raju said, “We have taken samples under the provisions of the Food Safety Act from Balaji Super Market in Banjara Hills and will be sending them to the lab for testing. The label of one of the products – General Mills Chocolate Cheerios – states it is ‘partially produced with genetic engineering’. We found that these GE produces are supplied by Sree Agencies which had got them from SR International. We will investigate to find the origin of these GE products.”
Mr N. Ravindra, incharge chief public analyst of the TS and AP State Food Lab at Nacharam, said, “We do not have expertise and equipment for GE tests. The Central Food Technological Research Institute at Mysuru will be conducting the tests. CCMB Hyderabad may also have expertise.”
Asked about the GE products, Mr Aswin Kumar of Sree Agencies said, “We do not know about GE products. We send payment by cheque and we get the products from Delhi by transport. I have been getting calls from supermarkets like QMart and Balaji to withdraw the stock. We had also supplied Ratnadeep earlier. We have no role and SR International is the importer.”
Several scientists and experts have warned of the dangers of GE food. Former CCMB chief Dr P.M. Bharagava, a member of the Supreme Court empowered committee on GE, said, “There is no GEAC nod for GE food imports. It is dangerous to import them illegally like this. I will examine the issue and take it up. This has to be stopped.”
Mr P. Chengal Reddy, chief adviser of the Federation of Farmers Association, said, “GE foods are being consumed in the US and elsewhere for 15 to 20 years. When we are getting this illegally into our country, why can’t we allow our farmers to grow them?” Mr Reddy has written to Chief Justice of India T.S. Thakur on the matter.
Samples have been collected from Balaji Super Market in Banjara Hills. They will be sent for testing. One of the product labels — General Mills Chocolate Cheerios — states it is 'partially produced with genetic engineering'.