By Nava Derakhshani

Despite legislation requiring products with 5% or more GMOs (Genetically Modified Organism) to be labelled, this is still not being done, which  violates our legal right to know what we are consuming.

As consumers, we are told that this is where our power lies; in our choices and where we spend our money. But what choice do we have when deprived of essential information and our ability to direct the market?

Supermarkets try to argue an empty case that GMOs are safe. According to Melinda White, Pick n Pay’s Foods Legal Compliance Officer “this (GMO) is not a food safety matter; genetically modified soy and maize have been produced for many years in our country”. The need is ignored for testing genetically modified organisms to be intergenerational because its effects may be evident only in future generations … in our children and grandchildren.  Claims that GMOs are safe are therefore unfounded as they are not based on rigorous research. The choice to feed our children untested food with unknown consequences is ours.  Without labeling, we are deprived of our consumer power.

According to Future Life, 85% of our maize and soya in South Africa is grown from GMO seeds, said to be adapted to local conditions.  If this is true, we should be free to choose whether or not to use products with soy or maize content.  This decision should rest with the consumer not the producer.

The Southern African Faith Communities’ Environment Institute (SAFCEI) urges immediate action in appropriately labelling food products as required by our new legislation.  The lack of GM labelling and adequate enforcement of this legislation is unethical, according to Bishop Geoff Davies, Executive Director of SAFCEI.  “Our society is entitled to know the content and origin of the foods we consume,” he says.

Moreover, the use of GMO crops poses the threat of genetic contamination of our traditional varieties of food. This could result in the loss of food biodiversity which is vitally important. A diverse food base is essential to our survival in the face of dramatic changes in climate. Without food biodiversity and a wide range of natural seeds, our ability to feed ourselves is severely compromised.

We are told that the costs for new packaging can’t be justified and immediate labelling is, therefore, not possible. The consumer, however, is not asking for new packaging, but simply for the basic right of the consumer to receive appropriate information, which could be achieved by using stickers to indicate the GMO content, until new packaging becomes a viable option without any wastage.

SAFCEI urges that the public be informed in keeping with the new legislation and that the voice of morality should guide the actions of suppliers and those responsible for law enforcement. What is being done to ensure product compliance with the law and respect for the consumers’ right to know? We look forward to overdue action to ensure product compliance with the law and respect for the consumer’s right to know.  “Let there be no more excuses,” says Bishop Davies.