The lift of the ban on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in Kenya has once again opened a discussion over the safety of GMO foods.
GMO foods: 4 most burning queries Kenyans are asking Google
Public scepticism around GMOs continues to grow especially concerning the health of consumers.
Kenyans using a phone
Recommended articles
Experts define a genetically modified organism as any organism that has been improved by transferring genes from a different species to itself.
The use of GMOs in the world started back in the early 1990s and has been adopted widely in many countries for different crops.
However, after the 2012 ban, Kenya went back to the drawing board on the use of genetically modified organisms.
ADVERTISEMENT
President William Ruto duirng a Cabinet meeting on October 3, 2022
Pulse Live Kenya
The government set up a commission to interrogate the ban and in 2013, the committee released a report saying Kenya was not ready to adopt GMO crops.
According to former Agriculture PS Prof Hamadi Boga, Kenya had limited itself with the ban, adding that GMO foods were safe to consume.
“I think this allows us to access affordable and safe maize, for both human and animal consumption from the world market without really worrying,” he said in an interview with KTN.
ADVERTISEMENT
African countries such as South Africa, Burkina Faso, Sudan and Egypt grow the GMO crops while Nigeria and Ethiopia recently approved commercialization of GMO products.
Public scepticism around GMOs continues to grow especially concerning the health of consumers.
Google Trends recorded a spike in the number of Kenyans searching for information about GMO foods following the announcement on Monday, October 3, 2022.
On Monday alone, over 10,000 queries had been made regarding topics on GMO foods.
ADVERTISEMENT
Below are some of the most searched queries in Kenya since the lift of the ban.
Effects of GMO foods
According to the World Health Organisation, “no effects on human health have been shown as a result of the consumption of such foods by the general population in the countries where they have been approved.”
GMO meaning in food
Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) can be defined as organisms (i.e. plants, animals or microorganisms) in which the genetic material (DNA) has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally by mating and/or natural recombination.
ADVERTISEMENT
What are GMO foods
WHO holds that GMO crops available on the international market today have been designed using one of three basic traits: resistance to insect damage; resistance to viral infections; and tolerance towards certain herbicides.
GMO crops with higher nutrient content (e.g. soybeans with increased oleic acid) have been also studied recently.
Are GMO foods safe?
The World Health Organisation says that individual GMO foods and their safety should be assessed on a case-by-case basis and that it is not possible to make general statements on the safety of all GM foods.
JOIN OUR PULSE COMMUNITY!
ADVERTISEMENT
Eyewitness? Submit your stories now via social or:
Email: news@pulselive.co.ke
Next story
