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The Use of GM Crops in Developing Countries

Food safety continued

4.47 Finally, a number of recent authoritative reviews have concluded that there are no proven health damages arising from the consumption of GM crop products on the market as yet.53 However, long-term risks for most conventional foods have never been analysed. This is not because all naturally occurring, or conventionally bred foods are safe; indeed, the use of some conventional varieties of crops can have grave health consequences. For example, most varieties of Lathyrus sativus, a lentil formerly grown widely in North India and now spreading in Ethiopia, are known to cause the crippling disease of lathyrism. Traditional varieties of cassava in Nigeria also have dangerously high levels of hydrocyanic acid. Research on GM crops could create safer varieties of these and other crops which could replace harmful traditional varieties by reducing the levels of undesirable substances including mycotoxins, alkaloids and glucosinolates.54 In our judgement, there is no empirical or theoretical evidence that GM crops pose greater hazards to health than plants resulting from conventional plant breeding. However, we welcome the fact that concerns about GM have focused attention on issues of safety with regard to new crops and varieties.

Box 4.2: Safety issues relating to GM crops
Following identification of the differences between a GM crop and its nearest conventional counterpart, it may be important to consider the following aspects:
- process of genetic modification;
- safety of new proteins;
- occurrence and implications of unintended effects;
- gene transfer to gut microflora;
- allergenicity of new proteins;
- role of the new food in the diet; and
- influence of food processing.

Footnotes

53 GM Science Review (2003) First Report (London); ENTRANSFOOD Forthcoming report; International Council for Science (ICSU) (2003) New Genetics, Food and Agriculture: Scientific Discoveries – Societal Dilemmas (France: ICSU).

54 Mycotoxins, for example, are toxic chemical products formed by certain fungal species that readily colonise crops in the field or after harvest; they pose a potential threat to human and animal health through the ingestion of food products prepared from these commodities. Chronic levels are considered to be a major cause of infant mortality, inefficient nutrient uptake in humans and farm animals, liver and other cancers in adults, and may strongly contribute to the lower life expectancy in tropical and sub-tropical developing countries. See Biosafety Information Network and Advisory Service (BINAS) http://binas.unido.org/binas/. Accessed on: 10 Nov 2003.

Chapter 4

Questions relating to the use of GM crops in developing countries Are alternative forms of agriculture, such as organic farming, better suited to improve agricultural practice in developing countries? Will GM crops be of benefit only to large-scale farmers? Is the use of GM crops of advantage in the context of international trade? Can GM crops be introduced in such a way that local customs and practices are respected? Can GM crops make a relevant contribution to solving health problems in developing countries? Will GM technology be controlled in ways that are compatible with self governance and economic security? Is the introduction of GM crops in developing countries consistent with a precautionary approach to biodiversity and human health? Is the introduction of GM crops in developing countries consistent with a precautionary approach to biodiversity and human health? continued The precautionary approach The precautionary approach continued Food safety Food safety continued Summary of Chapters 2-4

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