Kuwaitis and Middle Eastern alike love rice, but there is one kind of rice that every one know’s; the Basmati rice. So why is Basmati famous all round, you got different companys or family names associated with Basmati rice? Will explain, Basmati rice is like a franchise or a brand name of a certain kind of rice, some call it the long grain rice. So one day i can go to India, start a small company with a rice field next to it and call it Dashti Basmati:p i’m serious you can, anyways i’ve discussed Genetically Modified food earlier and its health concerns associated with it, now American firms are trying to patent such rice and call it different names like Texmati, first they called it Basmati rice and got sued by the Indian government. But now the Indian farmers are being urged to use GM technology on their rice, which is Basmati. Don’t we as Kuwaiti consumers have the right to know what we are eating, aren’t we supposed to test such food items coming into Kuwait. Why is Food & Medicine adminsitration not addressing such issues, Basmati rice is all over Kuwait and is being eaten by the young and old! The World Trade Organization (WTO) is supporting such GM technologies to be used in the developing world because they claim it helps the poorer countries with food shortages. Why cant such an organization stop being biased towards American countries and leave places like India alone to produce their safe natural Basmati rice. The WTO patents rice grains that they claim have been altered by American companies and resold over to Americans and the world, then they go by claiming the Basmati trade mark, who gives them the right on such claim, making them the founders of the world?! until this day i have found no proof that Basmati rice is genetically altered but cant the concerned bodies investigate such claims!
Resourses:
Terry “Link”
The Campaign “Link”
The Hindu, New Delhi “Link”
The Hindu “Link”
Genetically Modified Products in Kuwait:
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April 15th, 2007 at 7:32 pm
Isn’t there a law in Kuwait that they have to write on the products if they were Genetically Modified? In EU everything has to be written and clearly shown or man they’ll get in trouble! Ok at least north of EU!
April 16th, 2007 at 12:15 am
The thing is they dont label it here in Kuwait and its frustrating that you dont have a clue if your eating modified food!