The Central government has admitted before Supreme Court that there was large-scale import of genetically engineered food materials without any scientific examination of its impact on environment and human beings.

Petitioner Vandana Shiva in a rejoinder claimed the government has conceded to the averments made out in the writ petition namely that large scale import of genetically engineered foods are being made into India without any checks.

Filing a reply to the application filed by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests, she also said there was no labelling on these products and consumers were totally in dark as to what they were eating, in contravention to the law prevalent in the country.

Shiva informed the apex court that Kerala is the only state in the country that has prohibited any import of such genetically-modified food and products. The application will come up for hearing in January 2009.

Even the government had allowed the farmers in Ladakh in the Himalayas to sow genetically modified seeds without any approval from the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee.

She charged that large-scale trials of GM seeds of rice, brinjal, lady’s finger, okra and potato were going on without any regulations causing severe damage to the environment, land and human beings since 2006. Shiva, a social activist, claimed that GM foods were banned in most of the European countries as they had many adverse effects on the environment and human beings.

On last date of hearing on October 20, a bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan had directed the government to restrict the import of genetically-modified food stuffs containing living modified organisms without examining their contents.

It said Genetic Engineering Approval Committee, a regulatory body under the Ministry of Environment and Forests, should scientifically examine the genetically modified food stuffs and crops before allowing their sale in the country. It said till the implementation of the Environmental (Protection) Act, 1986, the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee would be the apex scientific body to regulate gene technology and micro-organisms to protect health, environment and nature in the country.