NFA clears rice shipment of GMO
Greenpeace wants rice import quarantined and tested using European Union protocol
SUBIC BAY Freeport: Greenpeace on Thursday warned the government, specifically the National Food Authority (NFA), that the shipment of rice being offloaded at the Naval Supply Depot could be contaminated with genetically modified organisms (GMO), which is illegal in the country.
Daniel Ocampo, Greenpeace campaigner for South East Asia said the current shipment should be quarantined and tested using the European Union protocol before it is distributed to the market.
Ocampo told The Manila Times that the shipment on board MV Liberty Eagle is part of the food for peace program.
The 44,000 metric tons of rice from the US that arrived at the Subic Port has been tested and certified as free of GMOs, National Food Authority administrator Jessup P. Navarro announced on Thursday afternoon.
Navarro said the 44,000 MT US rice that arrived at Subic Port onboard MV Liberty Eagle has been tested and certified as GMO-free by Eurofins Gene Scan through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Navarro cited that Eurofins issued a non-GMO certificate after testing sublots from the US rice onboard MV Liberty Eagle. The tests were performed with three test samples of approximately 1,000 kernels each.
“The test results were also verified by USDA/Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration,” he continued.
“We assure the general public that the government, through the Department of Agriculture and NFA, continues to be vigilant and cautious particularly in the aspect of food safety,” he added.
Navarro further said “the NFA follows strict procedures including tests undertaken by the Bureau of Plant Industry to ensure that we distribute through our accredited retailers and other outlets only rice that is safe for human consumption.”
In the other shipments of imported rice, all necessary tests to certify their safety have been properly undertaken, the NFA reported.
In 2006, Greenpeace revealed the presence of GMO contaminated rice from US in some supermarkets in Manila.
“Rice is the most important food for Filipinos,” explained Ocampo. “Importing rice from the US exposes Filipinos to the inherent risk of GMOs on human health and threatens our staple food with genetics contamination.”
The NFA and US testing procedures require a GMO test sample of 100 grams out of 50,000 tons. That means about one grain out of every 500 million grains is tested. In contrast, the EU requires a minimum of 2.5 kilogram sample for testing, making it easier to detect the presence of GMO grains.
The rice that came on the MV Liberty Eagle is of a long grain variety that is considered to be high-end rice.
“According to our sources some of the shipments have already been bidded out by the NFA and is about to hit the market soon,” continued Ocampo.
Greenpeace urged NFA to stop the distribution of this rice from US unless they can prove that it is free from GMOs. By Anthony Bayarong, Correspondent and Ira Karen Apanay, Reporter Manila Times
SUBIC BAY Freeport: Greenpeace on Thursday warned the government, specifically the National Food Authority (NFA), that the shipment of rice being offloaded at the Naval Supply Depot could be contaminated with genetically modified organisms (GMO), which is illegal in the country.
Daniel Ocampo, Greenpeace campaigner for South East Asia said the current shipment should be quarantined and tested using the European Union protocol before it is distributed to the market.
Ocampo told The Manila Times that the shipment on board MV Liberty Eagle is part of the food for peace program.
The 44,000 metric tons of rice from the US that arrived at the Subic Port has been tested and certified as free of GMOs, National Food Authority administrator Jessup P. Navarro announced on Thursday afternoon.
Navarro said the 44,000 MT US rice that arrived at Subic Port onboard MV Liberty Eagle has been tested and certified as GMO-free by Eurofins Gene Scan through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Navarro cited that Eurofins issued a non-GMO certificate after testing sublots from the US rice onboard MV Liberty Eagle. The tests were performed with three test samples of approximately 1,000 kernels each.
“The test results were also verified by USDA/Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration,” he continued.
“We assure the general public that the government, through the Department of Agriculture and NFA, continues to be vigilant and cautious particularly in the aspect of food safety,” he added.
Navarro further said “the NFA follows strict procedures including tests undertaken by the Bureau of Plant Industry to ensure that we distribute through our accredited retailers and other outlets only rice that is safe for human consumption.”
In the other shipments of imported rice, all necessary tests to certify their safety have been properly undertaken, the NFA reported.
In 2006, Greenpeace revealed the presence of GMO contaminated rice from US in some supermarkets in Manila.
“Rice is the most important food for Filipinos,” explained Ocampo. “Importing rice from the US exposes Filipinos to the inherent risk of GMOs on human health and threatens our staple food with genetics contamination.”
The NFA and US testing procedures require a GMO test sample of 100 grams out of 50,000 tons. That means about one grain out of every 500 million grains is tested. In contrast, the EU requires a minimum of 2.5 kilogram sample for testing, making it easier to detect the presence of GMO grains.
The rice that came on the MV Liberty Eagle is of a long grain variety that is considered to be high-end rice.
“According to our sources some of the shipments have already been bidded out by the NFA and is about to hit the market soon,” continued Ocampo.
Greenpeace urged NFA to stop the distribution of this rice from US unless they can prove that it is free from GMOs. By Anthony Bayarong, Correspondent and Ira Karen Apanay, Reporter Manila Times
posted by OlongapoCity Zambales at
1:27 PM
1 Comments:
It’s not directly related but did you know that bees gather nectar from plants that are genetically modified, they loose their sense of orientation, can’t get back to their apiary and die... If however, they can avoid the GMOs, but come back to the apiary with contaminated pollen (by other contaminants), the “guards” kill them at the entry of the apiary ….
By
Tom, at 3/19/2008 3:59 PM
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