The Regional Head of the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), Dr. Issoufou Abdourhamane, has assured the general public on the safety of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) foods.

Dr. Abdourhamane said that there is no evidence anywhere in the world that GMO foods are harmful or poisonous. He said billions of people across the globe had been consuming GM foods for more than 20 years without any harm or dying.

According to him, if GM foods are toxic, Americans, Canadians, Chinese, Japanese, Australians who happen to be very educated would have been wiped out by now.

According to Dr. Abdourhamane, “There are a group of people, their philosophy and their religious beliefs say that people should not eat GMOs, and they have been fabricating these stories and putting them in the media.

“In South Africa, people have been eating GM cotton oil and even the seed. There is a special meal they make with the cotton cake because GM food is scrutinized for safety.

“In the US alone you have three institutions involved in scrutinizing GM and analyzing it. And if in the process, they see even a hint that there will be a problem, the US Food and Drug Administration will immediately stop the process,” he said.

The AATF Regional Head gave an example where biosafety stopped the addition of protein content to one of the GMO crops in the fear that it might cause allergy.

He said that even though some Europeans might claim to be anti-GM yet they are the largest importer of GM feed for their animals. Abdourhamane also said that if GM feed was toxic, Europeans would not have any cow alive today and that about 90% of milk sold in Nigeria shops comes from Europe.

SOURCE: AGRONIGERIA