By Wendell Roelf
South Africa is resisting labelling its genetically modified foods
because of fears it could raise prices and make food less available for
consumers, a senior health official told the country's parliament on
Tuesday.
The country, Africa's economic powerhouse and one of the few on the
continent to accept genetically modified organisms, or GMOs as they are
popularly known, does not currently require that the modified foods be
labelled.

But pressure is growing on the government to consider doing so amid a
growing debate over their use. Supporters say that GMOs could help solve
many of Africa's food problems, while critics say they are an experiment
that puts millions at risk.

"If we had to label the foodstuffs, we have to determine the costs and
benefits of it. Would it increase food prices and, therefore, decrease the
accessibility of that foodstuff for a vast majority of people ?" Renusha
Chanda, an assistant director in South Africa's department of health, said
in a presentation.

However, Chanda added that the government believed that all GMOs
currently on the South African market were safe, making labels unnecessary.

The government is considering changing GMO legislation and has heard
appeals from environmentalists and farmers for tighter controls to halt the
import and creation of such crops.

Zimbabwe, Zambia and several other nations have banned GMOs, saying
that they could mix with indigenous crops.

Chanda said that more studies and research were needed to determine
the costs and benefits of labelling GMOs. They are only mandatory when they
include genes from fish, animals and humans or when they differ
substantially in nutritional content.

The amount of South African land devoted to genetically modified crops
was 1.4 million hectares in the 2006/2007 growing season, a 180-percent
increase over the previous year.

One million hectares was devoted to maize cultivation, the staple diet
of the majority of the country's 47 million people, with the remainder
allocated to soybean and cotton.


[africa.reuters.com]