The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India on 18th November 2022, notified the Food Safety and Standards (Genetically Modified Foods) (Draft) Regulations, 2022. This regulation shall apply to Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) intended for food use, Food ingredients produced from GMOs that contain modified DNA and Food ingredients produced …
Drawing on the literature on controversies, especially on the health risk assessment of genetically modified organisms in Europe, and long-standing debates in science and technology studies, this article argues that science-based risk assessment has inherent limitations, however rigorous, independent, and peer reviewed the work may be. In this context, the …
When the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced this month that it did not have the authority to oversee a new variety of genetically modified (GM) Kentucky bluegrass, it exposed a serious weakness in the regulations governing GM crops. These are based not on a plant's GM nature but on …
It is time to update decades-old regulation of genetically engineered crops. (Editorial) http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v475/n7356/full/475265b.html
Genetically engineered tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) with the ability to synthesize glycinebetaine was generated by introducing the codA gene encoding choline oxidase from Arthrobacter globiformis. Integration of the codA gene in transgenic tomato plants was verified by PCR analysis and DNA blot hybridization. Transgenic expression of gene was verified by RT-PCR …
Following the decision of 14 states giving a categorical no to Bt brinjal, states have now come down hard on the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) stressing that they must be consulted before any private sector agency is allowed to conduct trials for genetically modified crops. Bihar chief minister Nitish …
Entomopathogenic bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) and its toxins have been extensively used for pest control in agriculture and forestry and in public health programmes since the 1930s. At the core of such application are protein crystals that get synthesised when Bt cells develop spores. The proteins called Cry (from Crystal) …
Press report of the meeting held on June 14th at Sr.Helen hall, Stella Maris college following lectures by Dr. Veena Shatrugna, National Adviser on Nutrition to the Supreme Court Commissioner on Food Security and Dr.Suresh, Supreme Court appointed Adviser for Tamil Nadu to the Supreme Court commissioner on Food Security.
Centre approves field trials of 14 GM crops. But some states refuse trials, saying safety regulations are too lax. With politicians joining activists, the issue is likely to take a politically volatile turn. This special report in DTE uncovers the mess in GM crops. As India gets ready to unleash …
AT daybreak on March 11, there was a burst of activity at Litchi Lawn, a corner plot on the sprawling campus of the Pusa Institute in Bihar’s Samastipur district. Workers were uprooting the maize growing in a small patch of land close to the office, intent on finishing their work …
How do you propose to deal with conflict of interest in GEAC? Around three months ago a document called Declaration of Independence was prepared. Scientists who are members of GEAC were asked to sign it. The declaration states that a scientist can take decisions independently. If a GEAC member is …
IT is just a 12-member body but the Agricultural Group (AG) of the Association of Biotechnology Led Enterprises (ABLE-Ag) must be about the most powerful lobby groups in India. Among the dozen companies are the world’s largest biotech companies— Bayer BioScience, Dow AgroSciences, Monsanto, PHI Seeds—and a clutch of rising …
School children in the US were served 200,000 kilos of meat contaminated with a deadly antibiotic-resistant bacteria before the nation's second largest meat packer issued a recall in 2009. A year earlier, six babies died and 300,000 others got horribly sick with kidney problems in China when one of the …
The European Union (EU) Commission has released a report on the socio-economic implications of the cultivation of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The report, which is based on contributions by EU member States, concludes that currently there is insufficient data for an adequate assessment. The report summarizes information submitted by member …
The report by an Expert Committee (EC–II) and approval of Bt brinjal by the Genetic Engineering Approval (now Appraisal) Committee (GEAC) in October 2009 led to considerable public outcry and an ongoing debate.
This research examines how patent applications and the granting of patents developed at the European Patent Office in 2010. It also examines how the EPO has dealt with other applications for patents on conventionally bred plants following the decision on the broccoli patent. The report shows a steadily increasing number …
The public should be properly consulted ahead of any release of experimental insects. But what do they need to know, and whose job is it to ensure the message gets across? (Editorial)
This report analyses major new developments regarding genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in various regions around the world, including new evidence and testimony from Friends of the Earth International’s member groups. This 2011 edition focus particularly on pesticide use, increasing public and legal opposition to GMOs, and the biotech industry’s move …
The arguments surrounding the merits and demerits of patents shift between the right of the inventor to enjoy the fruits of his labour and his duty towards the society. In the context of microorganisms, the most vital distinction between the legal practices of India and developed countries is that India …
