Stop dumping contaminated food
Import statistics show that Southeast Asia is importing grain, food and feed ingredients derived from commodities such as soya, maize, and canola. The bulk of GM crops originate from known GM food producing countries like the US, Canada, and Argentina. The US, in particular, is one of the biggest exporters of soya and corn to the Southeast Asian region.
Given the huge acreage devoted to the cultivation of GM crops in these countries and the absence of mechanisms to segregate such crops from non-GE agricultural products, it is safe to assume that contamination of feedstock for various food manufacturing processes in the region is already taking place. Recent food analytical tests done in Thailand and the Philippines would confirm that this in fact is the case.
Greenpeace believes that the adoption of the Biosafety Protocol, which aims to regulate the transboundary movement of GMOs, will protect the region from the onslaught of contaminated imports. As part of its campaign, Greenpeace will be lobbying governments in the region to swiftly ratify the Biosafety Protocol and facilitate its entry into legal force as well as promulgate national policies and mechanisms to require segregation of supplies, regular testing programs - if not a blanket ban on GM food imports.