GM food isn't okay, starving is.

The Bt Brinjal controversy is symptomatic of Socialist behaviour. That genetically modified food isn't okay, but starving to death is.

Talking to my brother Thomas who lives in the US the other day, I was reminded of what it means to have in plenty. Visit a grocery store in the US., and you'll encounter food varieties that you can't even dream of, in India. At unbelievably low prices. Of course, they aren't all GM food varieties. But its pertinent to note that according to the FDA and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), there are over 40 plant varieties that have completed all of the federal requirements for commercialization.

In India, the government’s Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC), which cleared Bt Brinjal for commercial release said it will reduce the farmers’ dependence on pesticides and enable higher yields. Again, proceeding with caution is fine. But socialists and environmentalists going rabid with allegations of US pressure isn't. In fact, its such regressive acts that promises a ride back into the stone age.

Consumers have a right to know if a food variety is a genetically modified one when placed at a grocery store shelf. Then, they have the right based on what they know, whether to buy the product or not. Socialists and environmentalists have no right to decide what gets on to that shelf. Because all rights belong to the consumer.

Principal among them is the right to buy or not to. Bt Brinjal's fate must be left to that consumer right. Not to rabid environmentalists.

For more information on genetically modified food, read this paper titled 'Genetically Modified Foods: Harmful or Helpful?' by Deborah B Whitman.