03 December 2003 00:33
Russian ministry proposes to lift ban on sale of genetically modified food
Moscow, 2 December: The Russian Ministry of Science, Industry and Technology has proposed to lift all the
restrictions on sale of genetically-modified food in Russia. First Deputy Minister of Science, Industry and Technology
Mikhail Kirpichnikov said this in his speech at a seminar in Moscow today [2 December].
"The system for regulation, creation and production of genetically-modified organisms [GMO] should be based on
scientific knowledge rather than on emotional perception of these products," the deputy minister said, adding that
the Ministry of Science, Industry and Technology deemed it expedient "to enlarge the list of licensed transgenic
foods that are non-hazardous to people's life and health".
Representatives of medical circles, for their part, do not share the stance of the ministry. According to the
director of the Institute for Nutrition of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, Viktor Tutelyan, most GMO has not
been studied thoroughly enough to justify the conclusion that they can be consumed.
So far 11 genetically modified agricultural products, including soya bean, sugar-beet, maize and potato, have been
licensed for sale to the public and for use in the food industry in the Russian Federation. These products have got
state registration and are recognized as harmless to health.
[ITAR-TASS news agency] |
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