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What would you do if someone knocks at your door and tells you that the Nestle products in your house may be contaminated with GE (Genetically Engineered) ingredients? Would you believe them? The residents of Megh Building, Goregaon (East), Mumbai were in for a surprise when on an ordinary Tuesday evening of September 15, a chirpy bunch of youngsters knocked on their doors.


These young boys and girls were none other than volunteers of Greenpeace India who had come to their households to raise awareness about the issue of Genetically Modified food organisms. They interacted with every resident in the building, ranging from the elderly, couples, and the tiny-tots and even with the house-helps. "We are not asking you to blacklist Nestlé," said one of the volunteers to a resident, "we are here because Nestle has not been coming clean on its stand of using GE technology in their food products." Armed with reports straight from China, these volunteers explained the issue of GM food crops, how it has been a hazard to the environment and to human health.

The major cause of concern for the residents was the news that Nestle has been selling baby-food in China with GE ingredients in it. "Thank god my son has grown up for Cerelac," said one concerned mother on the condition of anonymity, "if it is present in China, can Nestle assure us that such thing will not be sold in India? I don't think so." Saying so, she willingly parted with her half used nestle coffee powder (Nescafe) and dumped in the bin held by the volunteers. Like her, other residents too followed suit and parted with their Nestle products right from Maggi (Yes MAGGI too) to Coffee powder, Kitkat, ketchup and milk Tetrapacks.

"What are you planning to do with the products which we are returning?" was the question asked by residents of the building. The volunteers replied that these products will be sent back to the Nestle office in Gurgaon.

"But why only Nestle?" The answer to this lies in the fact that every person is a Nestle customer, knowingly or otherwise (like Maggi). Nestle has built a trust in their consumers about the quality of their products. And now, they are playing with the very same trust by telling its customers that it doesn’t mind using GE technology if it increases the availability, sustainability and the nutritional Value (?) of their products. Greenpeace questioned the food brands available in India about their status or standing in GE technology in their products. Many companies said that they do not approve of such an unstable technology and will never use it in their products. Quite a few companies said that they don't mind using GE technology, and Nestle topped that list. The entire report is available at http://greenpeace.in/safefood/the-guide/

With plenty of Nestle products in a dustbin, the smiles of the residents and their good wishes, the young volunteers left the society to continue their journey against the issue of Genetically Modified food organisms.

Mahila Mandals of Mumbai "Happy without GE"

Samta Mahila Mandal

Located far away in a corner of Bandra East in Mumbai, Kherwadi area is just like any other slum area. Overcrowded markets, overloaded houses and people everywhere make up the essence of this place. The bylanes are so narrow that no two people can pass by at the same time. Situated in such a place is a self-help group run by two strong-headed women, Sandhya and Kalpana. They run ‘Samta,’ a canteen, where about seven to eight women work to sustain their livelihood, all of them hailing from lower socio-economic background.

But why are we talking about Samta? The reason, they just updated themselves about the growing issue of Genetically Modified food crops in India. Six young volunteers from Greenpeace India visited Samta on the September 8, 2009 to sensitize these strong-willed women about the possible health and environmental hazards of GE (Genetic Engineering) technology.

“Language was a big barrier for us,” said one  of the volunteers present, “and to bridge the communication divide, we played a light-hearted documentary which demystifies the difficulties in understanding gene technology and its potential ill-effects.”

“This is a very serious issue,” said one of the women in the local language, “people like you and me have to do something about it.” Following this concern were written letters and signed petitions stating that they do not support GM food crops and want it to be banned in India, as in other countries.

They expressed their thanks to the young volunteers and bid farewell, wishing them good luck for their journey towards the cause.

http://safefoodnow.org/

Cooking Institute of the Gujrat Research Society says "No-to-GE"

Gujarat Research Society

It was supposed to be just another class for the students of Gujarat Research Society on the Monday, 7^th September 2009, but it turned out to be a very eventful session for them. A group of young volunteers from Greenpeace India, all college students, were present to raise awareness on the issue of Genetically Modified food crops. This enthusiastic group of over 15 students, mostly housewives had an interactive session with the young volunteers in their classroom, where they learnt about gene technology and its consequent health impacts. A few light moments were shared when the documentaries were screened. The students, totally unaware about GE technology raised a few questions like 'how would one identify which crop is GE and which organic?' "That is the main issue," said one of the volunteers conducting the session, "awareness is highly essential because GE food might look better than the usual food products which are available in the market."

The students were very much disturbed on learning that such things exist and consumers aren't even aware about it. To show their concern, they wrote letters in protest of GE food crops stating that they do not support GE and want it to be banned in India, as in other countries.

"You are doing a very good job, keep it up!" said Shirish Barodia, the spokesperson of Gujarat Research Society to the volunteers of Greenpeace. He was very proactive and keen on having further association with Greenpeace. The event ended with a lot of gratitude being expressed by the management and the students of Gujarat Research Society.

also on Greenpeace Website:- Safe Food Now