U.S. corn producers rely overwhelmingly on transgenic varieties, and Mexico is their number one export market. (Photo by Mark Reinstein/Shutterstock)
When Mexico last year banished genetically modified (GM) corn from foods intended for humans, the United States dismissed the move as unjustified and initiated a trade dispute-settlement process. Mexico responded in March with a dense, 200-page submission to a three-person panel convened under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). The dossier, dated Jan. 15 but made public two months later, cites dozens of research papers that, according to Mexico, show transgenic corn and the chemicals used to grow it are harmful. It lists studies linking GM corn consumption to health issues including changes in stomach tissue, liver abnormalities, reduced productivity of bone marrow cells, changes to blood cell formation and enlarged kidneys. “The risks are real and of particular concern to human health in Mexico,” the government says. It adds U.S. assurances about transgenic corn and associated agrochemicals are based on publications that lack scientific rigor... [Log in to read more]
