NEW DELHI: India's regulator for genetically modified crops has asked the food regulator FSSAI to expeditiously finalise the guidelines for dealing with applications related to import of GM processed foods.
During a meeting of the Genetically Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC), the members took note of the response of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) that they are in the process of framing Guidelines for dealing with applications related to GM processed foods.
The FSSAI has said that a time period of about nine months would be required to finalise these Guidelines. "FSSAI may be requested to finalise the guidelines for dealing with applications related to GM processed foods expeditiously," the GEAC observed.
The GM food products are banned in India and FSSAI has come up with a draft labelling regulation for GM products. The draft says that "all food products having total Genetically Engineered (GE) ingredients 5 per cent or more shall be labeled".
The labeling of GM products have been pending for long and keeping in mind large amount of imported food products, especially from the US, demands have been made by activists in the past.
BT Cotton is the only GM crop allowed cultivation in India. There has been moratorium on commercialisation of BT Brinjal while application of GM mustard is pending with the Union Environment Ministry.