media advisory
Friends of the Earth International
UNAPPROVED GM RICE FOUND: BAN ON CHINESE
RICE IMPORTS URGENTLY NEEDED
September 7, 2006 -- Friends of the Earth
International today called on countries
importing rice from China to immediately ban
imports of Chinese rice following the
detection of illegal genetically modified
(GM) rice in Chinese foods on sale in Europe.
[1]
This is the second time in just three
weeks that an illegal GM rice was detected in
the food supply.
Nnimmo Bassey, Friends of the Earth
International GM campaign coordinator based
in Nigeria said: “It is shocking that
contamination with illegal genetically
modified rice has occurred for the second
time in three weeks. All countries importing
Chinese rice must react quickly and ban
Chinese rice imports unless it is guaranteed
that those shipments are free of
contamination.”
Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace tested
foods in the UK, France and Germany and found
rice products to be contaminated with the
unauthorized GM rice. [2]
The products were found in Asian specialty
stores and were imported from China. [3]
The illegal rice is an experimental
variety genetically modified to produce an
insecticide. This GM rice not approved for
human consumption or commercial cultivation
anywhere in the world. Scientific studies
raise concerns about the risk to human health
of eating the rice, particularly the
potential to cause food allergies. [4]
Both this latest incident and the
contamination by Bayer’s unauthorised GM rice
in the US resulted from outdoor field trials
of GM crops. Friends of the Earth
International called for a global ban on
field trials and a halt to the commercial
development of GM rice.
“This latest contamination is further
proof that experimental genetically modified
crops cannot be contained safely when grown
in outdoor trials. Rice is one of the world’s
most important food crops and every effort
should be made to protect it from
contamination.” Mr Bassey added.
Friends of the Earth International is
calling on countries importing long-grain
rice from the US as well as Chinese rice to
follow the example of Japan which announced
on August 19, 2006 that it was suspending US
long-grain rice imports. [5]
More than a decade after the first GM crop
appeared on market shelves, biotech
corporations are still failing to deliver
their promised GM crops with clear benefits
for consumers or farmers. Instead, GM crops
are increasingly creating new problems and
posing new risks for human health and the
environment. [6]
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT
Juan Lopez, Friends of the Earth
International, Tel: +39-333 1498049 (Italian
mobile)
Nnimmo Bassey, Friends of the Earth
Nigeria, Tel: + 234 803 727 43 95 (Nigerian
mobile)
Nizam Mashar, Friends of the Earth
Malaysia, Tel: +6046596930 (Malaysia) or
email:
sam_inquiry@yahoo.com
Adrian Bebb, Friends of the Earth Europe,
Mobile +49 1609 4901 163 or email:
Adrian.bebb@foeeurope.org
NOTES TO EDITORS
[1] Friends of the Earth Europe. 2006. New
Food Scandal: illegal GM rice from China
found across Europe. 5 September 2006.
[2] The foods testing were bought from
Asian stores in Germany, France and the UK.
Products testing positive were: Cock Brand
Rice Sticks (France) Swallow Sailing Rice
Sticks (Germany) Brotherhood Rice Vermicelli
(UK) Happiness Rice Vermicelli (UK) Gold Plum
Rice Sticks (UK)
[3] This latest contamination incident
stemmed from field trials in China. An
investigation by Greenpeace in 2005 found
that research institutes and seed companies
in China had been illegally selling
unapproved GM rice seeds to farmers. Further
testing indicated that the whole food chain
had been contaminated, with the most recent
case being the contaminated Heinz rice cereal
products in Beijing, Guangzhou and Hong Kong.
The Chinese government, in the wake of the
situation, reportedly punished seed companies
and destroyed illegal-grown GM rice.
[4] The GM rice contains either the Cry1Ac
protein, or a fusion Cry1Ab/Cry1Ac
protein.
- A 1999 study partly sponsored by the US
Environmental Protection Agency found
evidence to suggest that the Bt protein
Cry1Ac can elicit antibody responses
consistent with allergic reactions in
farm-workers and a series of studies
published in 1999 and 2000 by a Cuban
researcher Vasquez-Padron on Cry1Ac
documented immunogenic responses to which
indicate the potential for allergic reactions
or other immune system responses
[5] Media reports are available online,
for instance here:
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/business/4128520.html
[6] For more information see
http://www.foei.org/gmo/index.html
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