Here you can read my latest article in "International Aquafeed"
GM crops: the urgent need to map our meals
We are what we eat. Also, our
food (either of animal or sea origin) is what it eats. Therefore, it is of
vital importance to keep improving the nutritional value of animal and fish feeds.
With these in mind, I really enjoyed the interview of Prof Brett Glencross of
the University of Stirling as it appeared in “International Aquafeed” in the
May/June 2016 issue. His views on the genetically modified atlantic salmon that
has been approved in US are of particular interest. I do agree with Prof
Glencross that “this is a good piece of science” but I have to disagree though
with his statement that “humans have been consuming genetically modified crops
for over two decades now”. This phrase may be true for other parts of the world
but not for Europe.
In EU, the import of GM food and
the use of GM feeds is well monitored and there is still a pan-European ban on
GM feeds. Therefore, let’s rest assured that in EU, we have not been consuming
GM crops. However, regardless the place we live of this planet, let’s have a
look on how we can map our meals, so we know if we actually consume GM genes or
not.
Your Meal - EYD2015, is a Europe Aid funded
project, and as the name suggests, its primary goal is to enable consumers to
trace the origins of their food through the usage of a mobile phone
application, by scanning the barcode of a product; an action which will in turn
bring consumers vitally closer to the production process, and an understanding
of the conditions and standards producers work.
It’s
a new mobile phone app, with tremendous potential for the consumers but also
for teachers and parents on how to communicate to our students and children the
concept of food chain and how trace-ability can increase our awareness about
our diet.
Through
this project, the vast extent of global interdependencies, on a personal,
national and international level (i.e. consumer – producer) are highlighted. The
project has been crafted to raise awareness about sustainability, equity,
global justice and global interdependencies, in young people, youth
workers/trainers, community educators, and the general public. However, the
project goes further; it aspires to generate a strong and active coalition of
citizens promoting human rights, equity, and sustainable ways of living.
Additionally, the quality of lives of farmers, producers and their families
will be benefited on a significant level.
More
specifically, the project aims, based on a comprehensive smartphone application
and accompanying interactive learning materials exploring the origins of our
food, their individual components, and the socio-economic and environmental
impact of these, to increase
young people’s awareness about global interdependencies and injustices, as well
as about the need for more sustainable food systems.
Today,
the issues of food cost and sustainability are of paramount importance. In the
case of GM foods, GM crops have not been shown, up to now, to have the capacity
to feed the world at an affordable price contrary to the advocations of leading
GM companies. In fact, GM crops bring a huge burden to farmers; this is shown
vividly at the film “Bitter Seeds”: every 30 minutes a farmer in India kills
himself in despair. The film is based on the true story in a village at the
centre of the suicide epidemic: a farmer and his family struggle to keep his
land. “Bitter Seeds” raises questions about the human cost of
genetically-modified agriculture and the future of how we grow things.
Related
links
·
Map your
meal http://www.mapyourmeal.org/
·
“Bitter
seeds” http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2306473/
Ioannis
Zabetakis
Lecturer
on Food Lipids,
University
of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland
@yanzabet
