Watch the recording of our April 23, 2024 webinar in English. Watch in Spanish here.
Because corn makes up a major part of the Mexican diet, Mexico’s government is rightly concerned by genetically modified (GM) corn’s potential human health risks. Speakers will present scientific evidence backing Mexico’s precautionary measures for human health and explain why U.S. “regulation” does not ensure the safety of GMOs, but rather is designed to promote their acceptance both domestically and internationally. Dr. Charles Benbrook, Benbrook Consulting Services, Co-author of Friends of the Earth comments
Webinar speakers & presentation slides
- Dr. Charles Benbrook, Benbrook Consulting Services, Co-author of Friends of the Earth comments
- Lucy Sharratt, Canadian Biotechnology Action Network, Coordinator — Presentation slides in English and Spanish
- Bill Freese, Center for Food Safety, Science Director — Presentation slides in English and Spanish (informal translation)
- Javier Zúñiga, El Poder del Consumidor — Presentation slides in English and Spanish
- Moderator: Karen Hansen-Kuhn, IATP, Director of Trade and International Strategies
About the webinar series
The Mexican government has restricted the use of genetically modified (GM) white corn for human consumption and glyphosate as part of its broader program for food self-sufficiency and agroecology. Last August, the U.S. government launched a trade dispute, falsely asserting that these rules violate provisions in the U.S-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Canada joined as a third party, even though it does not export corn to Mexico.
This case underscores how trade policy can be misused to undermine countries’ democratic efforts to reshape their domestic food systems. Civil society organizations in Mexico, Canada and the U.S. have pushed back, including by filing formal submissions under the USMCA dispute resolution process.
Join us for, "Who decides on food policy? Pushing back on the U.S.-Mexico corn dispute" a three-part bilingual webinar series on the issues raised by civil society groups in this dispute, which has broader implications for the future of trade policy and food sovereignty. Webinars in the series include:
- Science, regulation and human health: Justifications for Mexico’s GM corn restrictions on April 23, 2024, at 10 a.m. Mexico City/11 a.m. CDT/12 p.m. EDT
- Biodiversity and cultural rights implications of the USMCA text and GM corn case on May 2, 2024, at 10 a.m. Mexico City/11 a.m. CDT/12 p.m. EDT
- The economics: Farmers’ livelihoods and perspectives on May 7, 2024, at 10 a.m. Mexico City/11 a.m. CDT/12 p.m. EDT
Series Sponsor
Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
Series Cosponsors
