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Soil & Health Association of New Zealand (Est. 1941)
Publishers of ORGANIC NZ
24 May 2011

Unborn NZ Children Exposed To Genetically Engineered Toxin

New research from Canada has shown that blood in pregnant women and foetuses carried toxins from genetically engineered (GE) foods, that are also allowed into New Zealand, according to the Soil & Health Association.(1)

Bt toxin Cry1 based insecticides are genetically engineered (GE) into several GE food crops (GE maize, soy, potato and cotton), which are increasingly imported and used in New Zealand processed foods. Thirty two different GE insect resistant food lines are permitted for use in New Zealand foods by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) and the New Zealand Food Safety Authority (FSANZ).(2)

“The finding that GE toxins and also herbicide residues are being absorbed into consumers and unborn babies blood, shows that organic and GE-free foods should be first choice for families and especially pregnant women,” said Soil & Health – Organic spokesperson Steffan Browning.

“Foods from GE insect and herbicide resistant crops, that carry insecticidal properties and grown with regular dowsing with herbicides, have never been declined by FSANZ, from being approved for Australian and New Zealand consumers use.”

“Labelling of products containing toxic GE foods is woefully inadequate and there are very few foods able to be correctly identified in food stores, although GE material is now in very many processed food items.”

“It does not need to be this way and Government could quickly correct the situation, by placing a moratorium on new GE food applications, reassessing or withdrawing the approximately seventy GE food lines approved for use in the New Zealand food supply.”

“Animal GE feeding studies have shown to be inadequate but still presenting disturbing health effects, including failure to thrive, organ damage and reproductive failure, yet FSANZ has continued to lack precaution in its GE food approval process.” (3,4)

“Approved in 2000, Monsanto’s Mon 810 corn became one of the most common GE crops produced, and the Cry1Ab insecticide engineered into it and found in mothers and foetal blood in the Canadian research, was described in the Approval evaluation as, “...equally unlikely that novel genetic material will transfer from GM foods to human cells via the digestive tract...” This has been found to be incorrect, and all GE foods approved must now be reassessed or withdrawn,” said Mr Browning. (5)

“Herbicides such as glyphosate and glufosinate, used on herbicide resistant GE crops, are also increasingly being shown to cause birth and developmental changes. Organic production does not use herbicides on crops.” (6,7)

“GE foods are unnecessary, and are unsustainable in production, damaging biodiversity, soil biology, soil structure, and pollute neighbouring environments. Now evidence shows that the GE toxins and herbicides used on them are polluting generations of people.”

Soil & Health has a vision of an Organic 2020 that disallows genetic engineering in the food and environment of Aotearoa New Zealand.

ENDS

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