The Sunday Mail
Dr Edward Mabaya
A few days ago, the Zimbabwean Government reiterated its position on genetically modified foods stating that “production and sale of products containing GMOs remained banned in the country”. As a Zimbabwean academic who has been working on this topic for a number of years, I write to present some basic scientific facts about this controversial subject. Let me also state pre-emptively that I am not compensated in any way for my opinion on this subject.
What are GMOs?
GMOs are crops developed through a process in which genetic material from one plant or organism is placed in another plant to achieve desired traits such as resistance to insects, drought, or diseases.
This process is also referred to as genetic engineering or biotechnology. Of the 27 countries that planted biotech crops in 2013, 19 were developing and eight were industrial countries. About 175,2 million hectares of genetically modified crops were grown globally in 2013.
GMOs are banned in Zimbabwe but they are in some of the imported foods.
Supermarkets and grocery stores in Zimbabwe are stocked with numerous food products imported from South Africa. Most of these products contain ingredients from GMO crops.
Presently, about 90% of maize and soy beans grown in South Africa is GMO. Nearly 100% of cotton, from which cotton seed oil is made, is also genetically engineered. Zimbabweans should know that almost all food products from South Africa that contain maize, soy bean, cotton seed oil are GMOs (unless otherwise specified on the label). These products include commonly consumed foods such as mealie-meal, breakfast cereals, snacks, and confectioneries. They are imported daily from South Africa in spite of the ban. The African Centre for Biosafety (ACB) website has a list of products from South African manufacturers that contain genetically modified ingredients. They include all key household brands from Tiger Brands, Premier Foods and Foodcorp, to name a few.
The ban of GMOs in Zimbabwe seems to be focused on the growing of genetically modified crops. If GMOs are banned in Zimbabwe for public health concerns, it is fair to ask why these products are allowed in our stores. More importantly, we are putting our farmers and food manufacturers at a disadvantage by making them compete with South African imports without allowing them access to same technologies that lower production costs and maximise yields.
GMOs have been studied extensively and found to be safe
GMO crops have been subjected to more testing worldwide than any other new crops. They have been declared as safe as conventionally bred crops by scientific and food safety authorities worldwide. For example, the European Union has invested more than €300 million in research on the biosafety of GMOs. A recent EU report concludes that more than 130 EU research projects, covering a period of more than 25 years of research and involving more than 500 independent research groups, show that consuming foods containing ingredients derived from GM crops is no riskier than consuming the same foods containing ingredients from conventional crops. Such well-known organisations as the World Health Organiasation, the American Medical Association, the US National Academy of Sciences, and the European Food Safety Authority have come to the same conclusion. To date, not a single case of allergy, illness, cancer, or death has been shown to be associated with foods derived from GMOs, despite the fact that they have been consumed by billions of people for nearly two decades.
Benefits to farmers exceed costs
Farmers spend more on improved seeds when their characteristics give them greater benefits in terms of higher profits, lower costs or greater convenience. The cost versus benefit decision on growing GMO crops should be entrusted to farmers. Moreover, many GMO patents held by private companies and research institutions or are soon to expire making the products and processes available for use by anyone. Like any other technology, farmers should be given the choice to adopt technologies that make economic sense to them.
Studies showing GMO harm to animals are misleading
A small number of poorly done studies, purportedly to establish adverse health effects from GMOs, have been highly criticised for their veracity by the overwhelming majority of highly respected scientists and are opposed by many hundreds of studies showing no harmful effects. For example, eating too many tomatoes (or many other foods) can kill rats.
Most sceptics of GMO often cite, directly or by inference, a research conducted by a research group led by Gilles-Eric Séralini and published in 2012. This study claimed that genetically modified maize causes cancerous tumours in rats. The Seralini study was retracted by the journal of Food and Chemical Toxicology in November 2013 because it was conducted and analysed poorly. For all practical purposes, this study should be considered as non-existent or nullified.
To date, not a single rigorous study of GM foods in animals or humans has revealed any adverse health effects compared to conventionally breed crops.
Zim can feed itself without GMOs — some qualifiers
Yes, Zimbabwe can feed itself without GMO, but the question should be “for how long and at what cost?” It is important not to portray GMOs as the silver bullet to all food security problems. Instead GMOs should be viewed as one of many tools that can improve the performance of our agricultural sector.
However, scientific progress cannot be halted by the false comfort that we currently produce enough calories for everyone.
We have to look beyond the present and there are many other benefits to consider. For example, insect-resistant crops containing the Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) gene have decreased the use of pesticides and, as such, GMO foods from these crops have fewer toxic residues. Further, climate change will likely bring new challenges such as frequent droughts and new diseases for which genetic modification offers quicker solutions.
Zimbabwe has a long history of agricultural innovation on the African continent.
Outside of South Africa, Zimbabwe had the most vibrant seed industry and our farmers, both smallholder and commercial, adopted hybrid seed since the 1970s ahead of everyone else on the continent.
Back then, the sceptics dismissed hybrid seed as another ploy by commercial seed companies to force farmers into buying expensive seed.
To date we still have among the highest rate of smallholder farmers who have adopted certified seed on the continent. We have used science to feed our nation. To sustainably feed an ever-growing population, Zimbabwe should take advantage of every technology that safely improves efficiency in food production. This should include currently available commercial GMO crops.
Edward Mabaya is the Assistant Director of the Cornell International Institute for Food, Agriculture and Development (CIIFAD) and Research Associate in the Charles H Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management at Cornell University in New York.
