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Welcome to class of Role of Genetically-Modified (GM) Foods in Emerging Markets Dr. Satyendra Singh Professor, Marketing and International Business University of Winnipeg Canada s.singh@uwinnipeg.ca http://abem.uwinnipeg.ca. What are GM Foods?.
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Welcome to class ofRole of Genetically-Modified (GM) Foodsin Emerging MarketsDr. Satyendra SinghProfessor, Marketing and International BusinessUniversity of WinnipegCanadas.singh@uwinnipeg.cahttp://abem.uwinnipeg.ca
What are GM Foods? • Crops created for human/animal consumption using the molecular biology technique to get desired traits such as:
Role of GM Foods in EMs • Very important for developing countries/EMs • By 2050pop. 9b food strategy for next 20 yrs • Need more food, as such hunger and starvation • 3m deaths/year in Africa solely relating to hunger • 3 options: aid/food, money/funds, provide GM foods • GM foods: Rapid, accurate,↑ yield, ↓labor, ↑shelf-life
GM Birds/Animals http://www.reuters.com/news/pictures/slideshow?articleId=USRTXTZ7A#a=1
Disease cure vs designer babies http://www.reuters.com/news/pictures/slideshow?articleId=USRTXTZ7A#a=1
Advantages of GM Foods… • Pest resistance • Crop loss due to insets financial loss to farmers • So, farmers use tons of pesticides/fertilizers annually • GM eliminates pesticides and thus ↓ cost of production • Disease resistance • Viruses, fungi, bacteria plant diseases • GM crops resistance to these diseases • Cold resistance • Frost can destroy sensitive seedlings • Antifreeze gene from cold fish tobacco and potatoes
Advantages of GM Foods • Drought resistance • More population ↑ land for housing, ↓ land for farming • Land unsuited for plant cultivation Africa, dessert • GM crops grow in draughts or ↑ salt-content soil • Nutrition • Single crop (rice) cannot give all the nutrition needed • Lack vitamin A blindness common in EMs • GM food: golden rice has Vitamin A (beta-carotene) • GM food: with enhanced iron is underway, Europe? • Pharmaceuticals • Edible vaccines in tomatoes and potatoes • Easier to ship, store, administer than traditional injections
Criticism of GM Foods… • Environmental hazards • Unintended harm to other organism • Difficult to design toxin kills crop-damaging pests, not other insects • Reduced effectiveness of pesticides • Develops resistance DDT • Gene transfer to non-target species • Cross-breeding • Transfer of herbicide resistance from crops to weeds • The “superweeds” will then have herbicide tolerance as well • Solution • Create buffer zone • Enviro pigs they do not produce phosphates!
Criticism of GM Foods… • Human health risks • Allergenicity • We already have allergies to peanuts and other foods… • Introducing gene may create more allergies • Unknown effects on human health • However, proposal to introduce a gene from Brazil nuts into Soyabeans was abandoned • On the whole, with the exception of possible allergenicity, scientists believe that GM foods do not present a risk to human health!
Criticism of GM Foods • Economic concerns • Lengthy and costly process • May be patented • Monsanto, Novartis, Dow, DuPont hold patents for GM crops • Make substantial profit by exporting it to EMs • Farmers from developing countries/EM cannot afford • More gap between rich and poor • Other invention discouraged/stopped • Suicide gene technology • Only one growing per season • Next time would produce sterile seeds that do not germinate
Governments and GM Foods… 2009: 25 countries
Governments and GM Foods • Europe: Anti-GM protests (Austria, France, Hungary) • Japan: GM testing is mandatory. Customers for organic • USA: FDA GM foods are substantially equivalent to natural food, so not subject to FDA regulations • GRAS Generally Recognized As Safe • India: No policy yet for GM ↓poverty • Brazil: Some states have banned GM crops • ↑Smuggle to compete with grain-exporting countries • Africa: EU opposes the use of GM in Africa • S. Africa, Sudan, Zimbabwe have GM laws; Kenya Act 2009 • Argentina: Very pro-GM • New Zealand: NO GM Foods grown here!
GM Food Labeling • No need to label same wrt to nutrition • Europe and Japan Mandatory • 1% contamination of unmodified products with GM foods • Consumers have the right the know the information • Let consumers decide but no choice • Reduced sales, so processors do not sell GM foods • EU has disguised policy of protectionism • Canada and US Voluntary • Mandatory for Non-GM foods • Let consumers decide more choices