In a move that’s likely to have a significant bearing on the food processing industry, the Government has allowed processed food containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and exempted it from regulatory approval.

The Ministry of Environment and Forests issued a notification on September 11 that grants exemption to foodstuff whose end-products are not Living Modified Organisms (LMOs) — living organisms can be used to propagate or reproduce, like in seeds.

The notification has tremendous implication for the food processing industry which uses ingredients and additives made of genetically modified corn, maize and soya.

Until now, producers and importers had to go through the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC), the apex body for clearing all GMOs.

According to a GEAC member, the mandate of the committee is “environmental safety”. Since GMOs in this form do not propagate or grow, it “does not fall in their purview”. Rule 11 of the Environment Protection Act has been amended to make this exemption possible.

Regulators say it should be a “health-concern” and should be regulated as per the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act and Rules 1954 or under the new Food Safety and Standard Act 2005. But the system under this new Act is yet to become operational.

Both the Swaminathan Committee on Agricultural Biotechnology and Mashelkar Committee on r-Pharma have taken the view that the GEAC should be involved only in regulation of organisms or products where the end-product is a LMO.

This notification marks a major shift in the way GMOs are regulated in the country after being first introduced in the form of Bt cotton in 2002.

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