|
Genetically modified foods are safe -- CII
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA
New Delhi : Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the Department of Biotechnology said that the genetically modified foods are safe, as they have not caused any harm to humans for the last five years. The fact-sheet, which was presented at the Indian Science Congress (ISC), said genetically modified foods are approved for sale only after they have been rigorously tested and found to be as safe as their conventional counterparts. In India the committees involved for testing such products for both environmental and food safety included Review Committee on Genetic Manipulation (RCGM) and Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC), it added. The CII fact-sheet said this science will help in increasing the crop productivity, reduce post harvest losses and reduce the intake of pesticides. Biotechnology will also help in development of healthcare, by creating more effective drugs and vaccines for treating diseases like cancer, diabetes and heart ailments. It said industrial applications of biotechnologyincluded making of renewable fibres from sources like corn, reducing our dependence on oil and natural gas and use of water and energy by around 50 per cent. The fact-sheet also said the concerns for use of antibiotic genes in GM crops, leading to development of resistance against these antibiotics in microbes, were being evaluated on a case by case basis before the approval of a crop. Copyright © 2001 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
|
