Although 74 Costa Rican municipalities have been declared free from genetically modified organisms (GMOs), better known as transgenic products, a group of specialists met in the country to discuss different scenarios related to GMOs.
For example, Dr. Marta Valdez, a researcher from the School of Biology at the University of Costa Rica (UCR) explained that there are two versions that indicate GMOs cause cancer and allergies, but there is no scientific proof of that.
The specialist said that four years ago the municipalities took a stance of rejection towards GMOs, as a result of a publication that was removed and questioned worldwide.
In addition, Pedro González, consultant at the Soy Export Council in the United States noted that biotechnology has strengthened many products and gradually have gotten support from different countries.
Representatives of the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Industry and Economy, as well as officials from different public universities participated in a forum on the matter.
Among the quoted reports stands a study by the National Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine of the United States, which ruled out any damage caused by these products. However the main environmental activists like Food Water Watch have criticized a conflict of interest in the study.