McDonald’s Sri Lanka stops import of GM Foods
[22 May 2001]

McDonald’s Sri Lanka, has stopped the import of cheese following the government's ban on the import of Genetically Modified Foods.

“After the ban, we are not importing any GM food item listed in the gazette notification on the GM ban and we have informed the New Zealand Diary Board, the main supplier of cheese about the ban,” an official from the Colombo outlet of the fast food chain said.

He said that they had already asked other foreign suppliers who supply processed food items to send laboratory certification as scientific evidence that the food is not genetically modified.

The Government issued a gazette notification prohibiting the import of all Genetically Modified Foods to Sri Lanka with effect from May 1.

In the meantime, May 13 - 19 was Biotechnology Week in the United States. A proclamation issued by US President George W. Bush said, "Bio-technology has contributed to the development of vaccines, antibiotics and other drugs that have saved or prolonged the lives of millions of people. Insulin, which is vital in the treatment of diabetes, can now be produced inexpensively and in large quantities through the use of genetically engineered bacteria."

The proclamation however did not make any mention of genetically modified foods. It did say that, "Scientific advances have enabled bio-technology to play an increasingly large role in the development of new products that enhance all areas of our lives."

Earlier Weyland Beeghly, the Agricultural Counsellor from the US embassy in New Delhi told an audience in Colombo that the Sri Lankan authorities were of the view that bio-technology was very risky and that the US was testing it on the poor populations of the developing countries. "But this is totally false and offensive," he said. "Since 1990, the Americans have been consuming foods enhanced with bio-technology," he added.

Defending the ban on GMF, the health Ministry's chief Food and Drugs Inspector, S. Nagiah said that the ban was imposed after a research study on the subject for a period of one year and that Sri Lanka had the right to impose this ban under the provisions of the Cartegena Protocol.

The protocol is the first international legally binding agreement on the trade of genetically modified goods. The goal of the protocol is to reduce any risks associated with international trade in genetically modified products.

The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (so-called because discussion of the protocol began at a meeting in Cartagena, Colombia) was adopted on Saturday, January 29, 2000, after 5 years of talks. Sri Lanka signed the protocol on May 24 2000. 

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