Chefs from Mexico Speak Out Against GMOs

A few days ago, the ban on the planting of genetically modified corn imposed in September 2013 was revoked by Judge XII of the District in Civil Matters, Francisco Peñaloza. In response, chefs and cooks from the Mexican Culinary Collective expressed their opposition to the evaluation and granting of permits for the planting of genetically modified corn in Mexico through a letter. The document states the following points: 1. The cultivation of these products threatens the diversity of our native corns and endangers their existence. 2. The conservation of agricultural biodiversity is based on the free exchange of varieties and the right of farmers to save seeds from their own harvest, as has been the case for centuries. 3. The process of transgenesis is not “substantially equivalent” to the natural crossing of plants that has occurred for thousands of years: it involves artificially intervening and crossing the DNA chains of various species. The technology used poses enormous uncertainties and unpredictable side effects. Its effects have not yet been determined. 4. The agrochemicals that accompany the planting of transgenic corn—fertilizers and herbicides—can pose a danger to health. One example is glyphosate, a substance used as an herbicide, which, according to the World Health Organization, is a probable carcinogen. 5. Genetically modified organisms (GMOs), for their part, threaten the food sovereignty of all peoples. They promote the concentration of land ownership and increase the economic dependence of small producers on large transnational corporations. The field of patents has expanded beyond technological processes to include living beings. Seeds have ceased to be a common good and have become “intellectual property” of transnational companies. 6. Various member countries of the European Union—Austria, France, Bulgaria, Greece, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, and Poland—refuse to grow GMOs in their territories due to the possible harm that these products may cause to human health and the environment. On the other hand, nations like China buy corn from Mexico precisely because it is non-GMO. 7. In Latin America, examples like Argentina are alarming: 56% of cultivated land (19.8 million hectares) is subjected to a transgenic monoculture—the soybean—and a growing pile of concerning stories about diseases and contaminations related to these crops and the accompanying agrochemicals has already been documented. In this text, the cooks and chefs request a clear and firm stance on this situation and state that they will remain vigilant awaiting an appropriate resolution. The letter was signed by the members of the Mexican Culinary Collective mentioned below: Abel Hernández. Eloise. Mexico City. Ada Valencia. Researcher. Querétaro. Adrián Herrera. Fonda San Francisco. San Pedro. Alberto Chávez. Kaah Siis. Mexico City. Alberto Sentíes. Montelena. Monterrey. Alejandra Flores. Quintonil. Mexico City. Alejandro Garza. Cinco Catering. Monterrey. Alex Ruiz. Casa Oaxaca. Oaxaca. Alfredo Villanueva. Romero y Azahar. Monterrey. Alicia Gironella. Writer and researcher. Mexico City. Alma T. Cervantes Cota. Researcher. Culiacán Ángel Vázquez. Intro Restaurant. Puebla. Antonio de Livier. La panga del impostor. Guadalajara Antonio Márquez. LMA Food Concepts. Monterrey. Aquiles Chávez. La Fishería. Playa del Carmen. Arturo Fernández. Raíz. Mexico City. Benito Molina. Manzanilla. Ensenada. Christian Bravo. Punta del Mar. Mérida. Cristina H. de Palacio. Cultura Culinaria A. C. Daniel Ovadía. Paxia. Mexico City. Daniela Mier y Terán. LUM (Hotel Bo). San Cristóbal de las Casas. Dante Ferrero. Alodé. Monterrey. Darren Walsh. Lula Bistro. Guadalajara. Denise Theurel Thomas. Theurel and Thomas. Monterrey. Diego Hernández Baquedano. Corazón de Tierra. Ensenada. Edgar Núñez. Sud 777. Mexico City Eduardo Morali. Eloise. Mexico City Eduardo Plascencia. Itab. Monterrey. Eleazar Bonilla. La Zebra. Tulum. Elena Reygadas. Rosetta. Mexico City. Eloy Aluri. IDEA. Hermosillo. Enrique Olvera. Pujol. Mexico City Federico López. Gourmands & Gourmets. Playa del Carmen. Fernanda Gutiérrez Zamora. Cessa. Mexico City Francisco Ruano. Alcalde. Guadalajara. Gabriela Cámara. Contramar. Mexico City Gabriela Ruiz Lugo. Gourmet MX. Villahermosa. Gerard Bellver. Biko. Mexico City Gerardo Vázquez Lugo. Nicos. Mexico City. Guillermo González Beristain. Pangea. Monterrey. Hector Galván. La Casa Tropical. Mexico City. Israel Montero. Kaah Siis. Mexico City. Jair Tellez. Merotoro. Mexico City. Jared Reardon. Jaso. Mexico City. Javier Plascencia. Misión 19. Tijuana. Jesús Escalera. La Postrería. Guadalajara. Joaquin Cardozo. Carlota. Mexico City. Jonatán Gómez Luna. Le Chique. Riviera Maya. Jorge Vallejo. Quintonil. Mexico City. José Manuel Baños. Pitiona. Oaxaca. José Ramón Castillo. Qué Bo! Mexico City. Josefina Santacruz. Sesame. Mexico City. Juan Ramón Cárdenas. Don Artemio y Villa Ferre. Saltillo. Luis Javier Cué de la Fuente. El Mural de Los Poblanos. Puebla. Luis Robledo. Tout Chocolate. Mexico City. Lula Martín del Campo. Roca. Mexico City. Mario Espinoza. Mexico City Marta Zepeda. Tierra y Cielo. San Cristóbal de las Casas. Mikel Alonso. Biko. Mexico City. Mónica Patiño. Delirio. Mexico City. Nico Mejía. Cortez. Guadalajara. Olivier Deboise. J&G Grill. Mexico City. Oscar Portal. Estudio Millesime. Mexico City. Pablo Salas. Amaranta. Toluca. Paul Bentley. Magno. Guadalajara. Paulina Abascal. Dulces Besos. Mexico City. Pedro Abascal. Koba Restaurante. Playa del Carmen. Pedro Evia. Ku´uk. Mérida. Poncho Cadena. Hueso. Guadalajara. Ricardo Bonilla. Culinary Art School. Tijuana. Ricardo Muñoz Zurita. Azul Histórico. Mexico City. Roberto Solís. Néctar. Mérida. Sergio Camacho. Ambrosía. Mexico City. Sergio Meza. Becada. Guadalajara. Solange Muris. Manzanilla. Ensenada. Sonia Arias. Jaso. Mexico City. Sofía Cortina. Carlota. Mexico City. Tomás Bermúdez. La Docena. Guadalajara. Zahie Téllez. José Guadalupe. Mexico City. The letter was addressed to the Secretary of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food, the Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources, the Secretary of Tourism, the Presidency of the Republic, and the Secretary of Economy National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity. See original article Article courtesy of: