Transgenic foods in Latin America
At present it is common to listen to people to talk about the "genetically modified organisms (OGM)", traditionally known as "transgenics" and their both positive and negative implications in the field of human health. According to the World Health Organization, genetically modified organisms are those to which their genetic material is altered to improve certain characteristics and meet the needs of today’s society. The OMG have evolved over the years since their appearance in the seventies, starting with a simple modification in some plants so that they were resistant to herbicides and the larvae of beetles and butterflies; until the production of vaccines and industrial products, such as transgenic foods.
In Costa Rica small areas of biotechnological seeds began to be plant in 1992 to export to other countries. These areas planted with biotechnological crops reached 226 hectares by the end of 2016, an increase of 13% compared to 2015. In 2009, Costa Rica was officially included for the first time to the global list of cultivating countries of transgenic organisms, located in the 26th position of the countries that cultivate these products in the world, according to the international service for the acquisition of Agro-Biotechnological Applications (ISAA). Like Chile, transgenic crop plantations are exclusively commercial, since the laws in force in both countries only allow the commercialization of biotechnological crops designated for the export of ‘seeds’.
As for transgenic foods in Costa Rica, since the 1990s, corn, soybeans, tomatoes, wheat and rice can be found. First for corn, with genetic modification, greater resistance to insects is sought; Soy intends to increase its resistance with respect to herbicides; wheat essentially insects, pests and droughts; And finally the tomatoes to have a greater prolongation in their useful life once their harvest. As for transgenic rice, it seeks to develop an increase in vitamin A content in the product.
However, the laws of these foods are primarily concentrated in evaluating the risks in consumer health as well as the control and trade of these in the market; since each country needs adequate control regarding transgenic organisms, since some usually cause certain implications that will directly or indirectly affect the health of human beings.
Leave feedback