EU food recall linked to GM rice exports from India

When candy giant Mars Wrigley carried out a mass recall of several batches of its Crispy M&Ms across Europe this August, it was due to the use of one ingredient: rice flour with genetically modified contamination that allegedly originated in India, according to notifications on the European Commission’s rapid alert system. However, the Commerce Ministry pointed out that GM rice is not grown commercially in India, let alone exported, and promised a thorough enquiry by its agricultural exports authority. Worried farmers groups and environmental activists, however, noted that multiple GM rice varieties have been approved for confined field trials, and warned that any cross-contamination could dampen the country’s agricultural export ambitions. The quantity involved is too big to have come from leaked output from controlled trial cultivation.” However, he also added that “APEDA is collecting all the details and will enquire every aspect of it thoroughly with the technical and scientific institutions like GEAC and strictest form of action will be taken accordingly.” Farmers groups say the issue of cross contamination from field trials has been raised previously.