EU Failing FAO Challenge to Improve Global Food Security

Stuart J Smyth; Peter W B Phillips; William A Kerr

doi:10.1016/j.tibtech.2016.04.003

EU Failing FAO Challenge to Improve Global Food Security

Trends Biotechnol. 2016 Jul;34(7):521-523. doi: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2016.04.003.

Authors

Stuart J Smyth¹, Peter W B Phillips², William A Kerr³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Agriculture and Resource Economics, University of Saskatchewan, 51 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, S7N 5A8, Canada. Electronic address: stuart.smyth@usask.ca.
² Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy, University of Saskatchewan, 101 Diefenbaker Place, Saskatoon, S7N 5B8, Canada.
³ Department of Agriculture and Resource Economics, University of Saskatchewan, 51 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, S7N 5A8, Canada.

PMID: 27318260
DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2016.04.003

Abstract

The announcement that the European Union (EU) had reached an agreement allowing Member States (MS) to ban genetically modified (GM) crops confirms that the EU has chosen to ignore the food security challenge issued to the world by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in 2009. The FAO suggests that agricultural biotechnology has a central role in meeting the food security challenge.

Keywords: GM crops; economic benefits; environmental benefits; health benefits; politicization of risk.

MeSH terms

European Union*
Food Supply*
Food, Genetically Modified*
Guideline Adherence
Health Policy*
United Nations*