Peru has completely banned GMO’s in their country for at least the next ten years. This ban, started in December of 2012, removes GMO crops and foods in supermarkets and bans all imports of both produce and seed. Up to this point stores were required to label GMO’s clearly. A recent California ballot measure in 2012 would have required the same labeling of GMO crops within the state but it failed.
A study conducted in Peruvian supermarkets found that 10 of 13 products tested positive as containing GMO’s. This study was conducted in April of 2011 in the same month that the ban passed in the Peruvian Congress. President of the Peruvian Association of Consumers and Users (ASPEC) Crisólogo Cáceres stated that Peruvians eating food without full knowledge of the ingredients is, “a clear violation of our right to information.”
Peru’s farmers argue they are attempting to preserve the biodiversity and native species GMO crops threaten. Peruvian cultivation uses traditional methods of small plots and high biodiversity, helping to avoid the plight that diseases can have on large monocultures. Peru wants the ban to last at least ten years to allow time for scientists to study the safety of GMO’s. The ten year ban will allow enough time for proper research to take place, as Peru views the current status on GMO studies as being in its infancy.
“Once we have contamination, there is no going back.” ~ Alejandro Argumedo