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The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) have taken far too long to establish an operational testing facility for Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs). Without a proper testing facility, consumers cannot take advantage of the cost savings offered by GMOs, with the poor being the worst affected.

In April 2009 the Consumer Protection Act (CPA) of 2008 was signed off by President Jacob Zuma. The Act contained requirements enforcing the labelling of all genetically modified products effective as of 1 October 2011. As the Department tasked with ensuring the quality and safety of commodities and services, through the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS), the task of establishing an operational testing facility fell squarely within the mandate of the DTI.

Without an active testing facility, the SABS cannot ensure the safety of GMOs for consumption by the general public. As a result, the Department’s interim solution has been to ban a number of GMOs until the testing facility is operational.

The reality is that with the rapid advances in the field of genetics, modified foods are set to make up an increasing proportion of our shopping baskets. Modification has enabled us to significantly increase the supply of various food items, which has served to drive down prices for the consumer.

Despite the obvious benefits to consumers, over three years have passed since the enactment of the CPA and many modified foodstuffs still remain on the Department’s banned list. This is a direct result of the Department’s failure to introduce a fully functioning testing facility.

In a reply to a parliamentary question I posed to Minister Davies on the matter, he asserted that the testing facility would be operational at the end of October 2012, despite only having one trained test officer. In any event, an April 2009 to October 2012 turnaround time is nowhere near good enough.

It is curious that the Minister finds the time to legislate for the labelling of products emanating from occupied Palestinian territories, whilst the labelling of essential cost-cutting GMO products remains a non-priority.

At the end of the day, it is the poorest of the poor who suffer as a result of higher basic food prices, which reduce household wealth and perpetuate the poverty cycle.

I will be writing a letter to the Minister as well as driving this issue in the Portfolio Committee.

The Minister should be focusing his efforts on improving the lives of poor consumers. In future, his department has to respond considerably faster to market developments if we are to have any hope of effectively leveraging potential benefits to the consumer.