The slogan that "breast milk is the best milk" has to day become synonymous with bringing up healthy children and more or less almost all potential mothers are sensitized to this reality through countless campaigns, educational programs and investment of vast resources by national and international bodies. But there has always been danger from the powerful baby food industry to sabotage this situation in order to regain their lost business in terms of peddling manufactured infant foods with doubtful credentials. Now comes the frontal assault from this lobby with the help of some "motivated" scientists through a sustained campaign to promote a new product claiming it to be as good as the mother's milk, if not superior! Here is the story.
"The scientists have successfully introduced human genes into 300 dairy cows to produce milk with the same properties as human breast milk. Human milk contains high quantities of key nutrients that can help to boost the immune system of babies and reduce the risk of infections. The scientists behind the research believe milk from herds of genetically modified cows could provide an alternative to human breast milk and formula milk for babies, which is often criticised as being an inferior substitute. They hope genetically modified dairy products from herds of similar cows could be sold in supermarkets. The research has the backing of a major biotechnology company. The work is likely to inflame opposition to GM foods. Critics of the technology and animal welfare groups reacted angrily to the research, questioning the safety of milk from genetically modified animals and its effect on the cattle's health".
It is shocking that when GM foods are still at the center of a fierce controversy regarding their safety to adult humans, here is an attempt to expose the tender children to the potential hazards posed by GM milk. While no one has any quarrel regarding the excellence of GM technology and appreciation regarding human ingenuity in evolving these "unnatural" technologies, tinkering with food under various excuses, is not acceptable to any decent citizen who values all that is natural. There is only one country in the world which is reckless enough to expose its citizens to more than 30 different genetically manipulated agricultural crops with out the latter being aware of its presence in the market. With long term consequences from ingesting GM foods, especially as part of the staple diet, not exactly known, one can only wonder as to the intention of the US government in colluding with the GM lobby in the back door entry of these "unnatural" crops into the food system. While touting the new technology for producing human milk-like material from cows through GM techniques, the protagonists are forgetting that mother,s milk is much more than a chemical entity to be replicated through human intervention and the love, bondage, kinship, mother,s warmth etc can never be provided by any 4-legged animal, no matter how excellent the technology may be.
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