Label GMO foods to give consumers choice – Business Daily
GMO Maize concept. PHOTO | SHUTTERSTOCK
For years, contested perceptions about genetic engineering have appeared to influence public policy against the adoption of biotech crops and the consumption of genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
But the lifting of the 2012 ban on importation or open cultivation of GMO crops by President William Ruto means that Kenyans will have to get used to them.
The government particularly hopes that importing GMO maize at a cheaper cost will help in lowering the price of flour which has now hit a high of Sh200 for a two-kilogramme packet. However, best practice requires that GMO products are properly labelled to give consumers a choice of whether to buy them or not.
The authorities should also guard against the flooding of GMOs in the market to protect smallholder farmers.
The growing of GM crops shouldn’t also be overpromoted given that Kenya has not fully exploited other avenues of increasing food production. There are still vast chunks of unused land which can be irrigated. The government needs to discourage subdivisions of agricultural land and increase awareness of other modern farming practices to boost production.
