One of the biggest problems many activists have with genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in our food system is the lack of long-term, independent testing, but one newly announced study could help fill that hole by providing much-needed additional evidence.
The study, to be titled ‘Factor GMO,’ is set to launch on behalf of a Russian non governmental organization and a team of international scientists.
The Factor GMO study will be the largest of its kind to date.
The entire project will cost about $25 million and last for three years, and will involve thousands of rats fed different diets comprised of Monsanto’s genetically modified maize, as well as Roundup, the highly controversial herbicide that is sprayed on the crops in large amounts.
The announcement was made in London this past Tuesday and will begin fully starting next year, with the goal of discovering the truth about what type of effects the lab-created crops could actually have on humans.
“It will answer the question: is this GM food, and associated pesticide, safe for human health?” said Elena Sharoykina, who is a campaigner and co-founder of the Russian national association for genetic safety (NAGS), the coordinator of the experiment according to this article from The Guardian.
The experiment is hoping to determine whether GMO maize and Roundup cause cancer, birth defects, digestive issues, a reduction in fertility and/or other health problems that other less-comprehensive independent studies have shown.
The GMO crops were introduced in 1994 but government collusion along with a proliferation of industry-funded pro GMO experiments have combined to cast a long shadow of doubt on the safety of what has become the biggest food experiment in human history.
“The scale and format of this research project will allow us to create a really objective and comprehensive data set on the mechanics of the impacts of a GM diet on the health of living organisms over the long term,” said Oxana Sinitsyna, deputy science director at the Sysin Research Institute of Human Ecology and Environmental Health. The group is part of the Russian Ministry of Health and Sinitsyna is one of three scientists on the Factor GMO study’s review board.
The experiment will be conducted primarily in western Europe and Russia; Monsanto, the largest producer of GMO crops, had no comment when asked by The Guardian.
For more info, visit the Factor GMO Facebook page here.
