Am I what I eat?

The Ancient Greeks described eating as one of the pleasures of life. Maybe they were speaking about the Mediterranean diet, as healthy as much as it is delicious! Or maybe their food, free from herbicides and pesticides and artificial fertilisers and inoculants and vaccines and other chemical stuff, was much tastier than ours!

A quick look at what gastronomy is able to give us was enough for me to strengthen the assertion of our Mediterranean ancestors of old. That is until the ever increasing list of genetically modified foods made me wary of what my family and I would be eating, in an additional manner to the scientific talk about balancing carbohydrates, fibres, proteins, minerals, fats and water.

The tug of war across the Atlantic Ocean between the EU and the US has taken another twist. Recently, the European Commission has backed a proposal to allow imports of a genetically modified (GM) maize type. This comes across as the first step towards lifting the EU's five-year unofficial ban on new GM crops and products. The final decision now is in the hands of the EU ministers who are to consider the proposal to allow imports of the Bt-11 maize and rubber stamp or not the decision of the European Commission.

The GMO issue is a hot one on the continent and has recently entered the Maltese agenda as well.

In simple terms, GM crops are plants that have been genetically altered to improve resistance to diseases and to increase tolerance to herbicides or adverse weather conditions. Supporters of GM technology say it will lower the costs of food, increase yields and decrease the use of chemicals in the agricultural and harvesting industry. They promote it as a way of feeding a hungry world.

Opponents of GM technology, notably citizen groups, consumer society and environmental NGOs, are concerned about the theoretical health risks and the theoretical threat to the wildlife. They say that not enough studies are available to prove that GM technology is safe to human health and to the natural environment.

The EU has been cautious in its approaches to GM technology. It had not allowed experimental or commercial growth of any new GM crops since October 1998. By that date 18 GM plant varieties had been approved but, with increasing consumer fears, a number of states banned already approved GM crops and restricted GM field trials. Additionally, strict proposals for labelling and tracing the GMO content in biotech products proposals had been discussed and eventually approved.

Unfortunately, this approach, based on the precautionary principle, is at loggerheads with international trade regulations, according to the United States, Argentina and Canada, which challenged the unofficial EU ban within the World Trade Organisation in August 2003.

On the other hand, within the EU, regions, states and policy makers are standing their ground. For example, the region of Upper Austria is taking court action against the European Commission in favour of a GMO-free zone while EU states are asking for stricter safety checks, demanding lower levels of allowed GMO content in conventional and organic seeds.

The European situation is extremely intriguing for us Maltese and Gozitans as we enter the scenario of decision taking at EU level. On the other hand, the local scenario is of concern since a study by our molecular geneticists done some time ago had shown that we are not in a position to know at present if a number of items of food we consume are coming from GM sources or not.

All attempts should be undertaken to safeguard human health and the natural environment until scientific research gives a definite strong decision. All attempts should be undertaken to ensure that consumers are able to exercise their right to know what they are eating and where the food they are considering for consumption is coming from if a health hazard is on the table. The Maltese islands should be part of the GMO-free zone in the name of consumer rights and public health till shown otherwise.

Mr Bonnici is a Labour candidate for the European parliament and a local councillor.