ZIMBABWE TURNS DOWN GM FOOD AID
In a shocking sign of these surreal times, the southern African nation of Zimbabwe has just turned down a donated shipment of food aid � 10,000 tons of corn, specifically � because the cargo can not be certified as one hundred percent free of genetically modified (GM) foodstuffs. Zimbabwe, along with several other countries in the region, is facing a severe food crisis due to severe weather, unusual precipitation patterns during recent years, and the seizure of many farms due to recent political turmoil. Approximately 3 million people are facing hunger in Zimbabwe alone, fully a quarter of the nation�s population. The rejected shipment was coming from the US, part of an ongoing series of food aid that has already been distributed under the auspices of the World Food Program, as well as independent charities. The food that Zimbabwe has turned down has been diverted to neighboring nations also in need. Last week, the United Nations issued an alert that over 10 million people in several nations across southern Africa are facing an acute food shortage and that intense humanitarian action is needed in order to avert a crisis of mass-starvation.
current science news posted by ted at 5/31/2002 05:10:00 PM
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