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Perspectives
in Health
Magazine

Genetically Modified Food: The Americas' New "Green Revolution"?

Washington, DC, January 21, 2004 (PAHO)—A PAHO publication notes that genetically modified foods could herald a new era of food security in the Americas and other developing regions. But lingering public doubts about their safety must first be addressed.

At the dawn of the 21st century, "biotech crops represent the fastest take-up of new technology in agricultural history," according to an article in the latest edition of "Perspectives in Health", the magazine of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).

"Today 46 percent of the world soybean crop is genetically modified (GM), as is a quarter of all corn production in the United States," notes the article, "Battling over Biotechnology," by Donal Nugent, 2003 science journalism fellow at the U.S.-based Council for Agricultural Science and Technology.

According to the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), more than 50 million people worldwide suffer from chronic malnutrition, and GM proponents argue that genetically modified crops can and should play a critical role in addressing their needs and those of future generations.

"But not everybody has jumped on the bandwagon," notes the article. Pressured by their consumers, the European Union and the United States are at odds over the merits and the use of GM foods.

On a lesser scale, this same controversy is playing out in Latin America, with varying results in different countries. The article cites three key examples, including the region's two top food producers, Argentina and Brazil:

• Argentina has emerged as the world's second-largest grower of GM crops, primarily soy but also corn varieties licensed in the European Union.
• Brazil, the world's second-largest producer of soybean, until recently had refused to license any commercial GM crop variety. "Yet in fact, GM soy has been planted widely in certain areas of Brazil because farmers find it more productive and easier to grow than conventional varieties," the artic le says.
• Chile has been able to exploit its unique geography to secure niche markets internationally in what seem to be mutually exclusive enterprises - organic foods and GM seeds.

"Biotech may help in developing new market niches, improving the quality of our produce and even creating new technologies - new cultivars, for instance, better adapted to the Latin American environment," says Carlos Muñoz Schick, an agronomist at Chile's National Institute for Agricultural Research.

However, the article cautions that public concerns about the safety of GM foods could keep Latin America from taking full advantage of the opportunities presented by biotechnology. To help address these concerns, PAHO is providing technical assistance to help its member countries update and incorporate GM foods into their existing food safety systems.

Recent developments in Latin America suggest that biotechnology may be heading toward greater acceptance. Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru and Venezuela are all signatories to the Cancún Declaration of Like-Minded Megadiverse Countries, which affirms their desire "to take an active part in the new economy associated with the use of biological diversity, genetic resources and biotechnology." This and other developments "could signal a growing shift in focus toward how - not so much if - GM technology can be harnessed to benefit the region and its inhabitants," the article says.

PAHO was established in 1902 and is the world's oldest public health organization. PAHO works with all the countries of the Americas to improve the health and the quality of life of people of the Americas. It serves as the Regional Office for the Americas of the World Health Organization (WHO).

PAHO Member States today include all 35 countries in the Americas. France, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland are Participating States. Portugal and Spain are Observer States, and Puerto Rico is an Associate Member.