GMO foods are safe for humans and environment – Scientist

Dr Daniel Osei Ofosu, a Research Scientist at the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC), has reiterated the safety of Genetically Modified (GMO) foods for humans and the environment, which when introduced onto the Ghanaian market, could address food insecurity.

He reassured the public that before any GMO food is put onto the market, it would have gone through the necessary safety precautions.

Dr Osei Ofosu said this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Bolgatanga to respond to issues of GMOs and advantages of its adoption in Ghana.

He said Ghana’s new Legislative Instrument 2383 of 2019 and the Bio-Safety Act 831, 2011, were in pursuance to the implementation of the National Bio-Safety Authority (NBA) Law.

As part of the issues of food safety, the NBA works with the Food and Drugs Authority, mandated to ensure the safety of any product on the market, to ensure comprehensive work.

The scientist appreciated the challenges Ghanaians went through in the beginning in understanding the Genetic Engineering (GE) technology, which is defined as the ‘deliberate modification of the characteristics of an organism by manipulating its genetic material to produce GMOs, using Genetic Engineering.’

He said as scientists, they were assisting to explain the issues to the nation to ensure the total understanding by all.

Dr Osei Ofosu noted that farmers faced a lot of problems regarding soil fertility, and as a result, they banked their hard-earned cash on buying fertilizer to improve their productivity.

He said challenges of insect pest, poor rainfall patterns and post-harvest losses could be addressed through the use of the science available, which GE sought to address.

“GMOs can help improve food yields and ensure food security for the country as a whole and its products are safe,” he said.