The fight against genetically modified food got stronger on Monday with acclaimed scientist Shiv Chopra, who fought against the bovine growth hormone in Canada and subsequently got it banned, speaking against the 'poisoned food'.
Terming India as a 'guinea pig for testing' for multinational companies, Dr. Chopra said the multinational companies such as Monsanto, Bayer and others are the modern avatars of East India Company.
Public lectures
Dr. Chopra, who was in the city, as part of a series of public lectures on 'Health Impacts and Politics of GM foods', said the ongoing Bt brinjal issue was not just an environmental or agricultural issue but also a health issue. “The Ministry of Health should be involved in determining the safety of these crops and intensive tests need to be conducted on the Bt toxin,” he said. He said there was a misconception among people that Bt stands for 'biotechnology'.
“When a Chief Minister of a State asks me what Bt stands for, I am appalled and at the same time they say that Bt food is healthy,” he said while informing that Bt stands for 'Bacillus thuringiensis', a soil dwelling bacteria.
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