Nestlé Asks EU to Soften Line on GM

The European Union sets trends in trade, agriculture and culture, and so the decision to reject genetically modified food for its markets carries influence beyond European borders. For example, African nations produce crops for export to Europe, and most African countries do not want to risk including genetically modified organisms in their harvests, for fear of being excluded from the lucrative EU markets, explains a team of writers for the Financial Times. The world’s largest food company, Nestlé, recently approached the EU, requesting a reconsideration of policies that ban genetically engineered crops and insisting that widespread use of such products in the US serves as evidence of their safety The multinational suggests that genetically modified food can make agriculture more sustainable and lower commodity costs, making them more accessible to the poor. Opponents counter that there’s little proof showing that GM crops produce increased yields, particularly over the long term. Needless to say, slowing population growth, easing pressures on the environment, can also reduce poverty and protect the global food supply. – YaleGlobal