Pay has called for manufacturers to provide GM-free alternatives and echoed Woolworths' call to speed up legislation for the labelling of food content. South Africa has implemented a GMO Act but it is aimed predominantly at protecting the environment and does not cover food labelling. The health ministry was working quickly towards drawing up regulations governing labelling of foods including GMOs, but the process was very complicated. Moephuli said South Africa imports GM yellow maize for animal feed as well as soya products with GM content. It has not yet been conclusively proved that GM foods are unsafe.
Scientists talk of potential dangers, but nothing has been proved.
South Africa is conducting tests on wheat, tomatoes, soya, apples and strawberries as well as additional strains of maize and cotton, Moephuli said. Under the GMO Act importers, exporters and anyone wishing to deal with GM products needs to untangle a web of paperwork to be issued a series of permits. Moephuli said environmental groups demanding a five-year moratorium on GM foods, both imported and domestic, were denying South Africa's rural masses access to cheap food. We have to weigh the concerns of these groups against those of the rest of the population.