15 March 2007

Monsanto deception casts doubt on safety of NZ approved foods

The Green Party is calling for FSANZ to immediately withdraw its approval for human consumption of a genetically modified corn after it was revealed the company hid test results showing it caused illness in rats.

Monsanto was forced by a German court to reveal raw data it had concealed from the public relating to its testing of MON863 corn, used when it sought approval to import it into the European Union.

Green Party Co-Leader Jeanette Fitzsimons says our own Food Safety Authority accepted the misleading Monsanto interpretation of the rat feeding study without asking for the actual results. It approved MON683 for animal feed and human consumption in this country in October 2003. "FSANZ's approval of MON863 for use in food and feed in New Zealand should be immediately withdrawn.

"An independent scientific evaluation of the raw data of a 13-week rat feed study that Monsanto submitted to the European authorities shows that the company mis-analysed the test's results and used highly questionable statistical procedures.

Independent analysis of the raw data showed the rats' kidney and liver function was disturbed and their growth was slowed.

"This shows that FSANZ has been gullible in accepting Monsanto's interpretation of their test results. It should have asked for the actual test results.

"When FSANZ was later provided with the raw data, after the Green Party highlighted concerns in 2004, the authority continued to accept Monsanto's flawed interpretation.

"FSANZ must stop accepting company propaganda in the place of scientific evidence, and demand to see the test data of animal feeding studies," Ms Fitzsimons says.

Greens' Genetically Engineered Food Spokesperson Sue Kedgley says the news cast further doubt on the safety of GE food.

"This calls into question FSANZ's other approvals of GE food and feed and the processes they use to evaluate them. An urgent reassessment is needed, which must include independent reviews of all test data," Ms Kedgley says.

ENDS

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