Sri Lanka has decided to suspend a ban on the use of genetically modified (GM) food, following a request made by the World Trade Organisation (WTO). But government officials maintain that strict restrictions would be imposed, which would allow them to study the health risks associated with GM foods. WTO had urged Sri Lanka to give its trading partners 60 days to prepare for the restrictions. "This is merely a suspension consequent to communication with the wto ,' said S Nagiah, chief food inspector of the country's health ministry.

Controls could be again imposed by September 1, 2001, added Nagiah. The ban, which went into effect on May 1, 2001, was severely criticised by the US, which stated that there was "no credible scientific evidence to justify it.' The ban required 21 categories of food imports to be completely free of GM products (see: Down To Earth , Vol 10, No 2, June 15, 2001, p12). Since Sri Lanka does not have a mechanism to test imports for the presence of GM ingredients, a certification laboratory would be set up to implement the controls.