Topic: Regulating Genetically Modified Organisms and "Designer Food"
Country: India
Delegate Name: Renee DeBault
School: Vicksburg High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All India position papers GLIMUN 2014 committees
India’s regulations are in the process of being written to be adequately suit the testing and changes of genetically modified foods. India used to have to go through the Genetic Engineering Approval committee to get the approval to do field testing on the modified crops to test their safety and changed genes. Today the 10 year hold on all field testing. The 10 years started in 2012 and its purpose is to give time to India so they can write out a strong regulatory system so the crops can be safer and more properly monitored. Genetically modifying foods has been very controversial in India due to the safety concerns of the foods. The regulations need to be stricter in the open field testing so the genetically modified crops cannot contaminate crops in nearby fields and also the monitoring of the crops to assure the crops are 100% safe to the people’s health.
The level of how safe and useful the foods are plays a role on their use and trade. If many countries live up to the same standard and regulations when modifying the foods then countries can trade more because they will have more crops to offer or more beneficial foods. It does in the end change if a country should choose to adopt the modifications due to the fact that the crops could be a big financial loss if they cannot trade them to benefit the country’s economy and trade.
The adoption of GMOs is not an all-or-nothing prospect. Certain foods can be modified in the interest the countries people such as modifying a crop to produce more so it can help with food shortages or famines. Another country may need to modify a crop to make them have more nutrition if the people of their country cannot get enough of the necessary nutrients to live healthy. The state of the countries people are what need to be taken into account when determining if GMOs will benefit the country or if in some cases are absolutely necessary.
