UNICEF Ambassador Mahmoud Kabil joins Public Board of Factor GMO project

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Experimental phase of the study, costing $25 million, will begin later in 2015

1. UNICEF Ambassador Mahmoud Kabil joins Public Board of Factor GMO project
2. Swiss merchant banker gives backing to $ 5 million "Factor GMO" science project
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1. UNICEF Ambassador Mahmoud Kabil joins Public Board of Factor GMO project

Ivan Lambert
Factor GMO, Mar 2, 2015
http://factorgmo.com/unicef-ambassador-mahmoud-kabil-joins-public-board-factor-gmo-project/

UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for the Middle East and North Africa, Mahmoud Kabil, has officially joined the Public Board of the World’s largest and most comprehensive study on GMOs and their associated pesticides – Factor GMO. The experimental phase of the study, costing $25 million, will begin later in 2015.

Kabil has starred in more than 50 films and TV series on his way to becoming one of Egypt’s most popular actors. After years of involvement with the United Nations, Kabil was named a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in November 2003.

Kabil stated Wednesday, “I am thrilled to join the "Factor GMO" Public Board and to support its efforts to conduct the world’s largest independent GMO and pesticide study. I’ve witnessed the arguments surrounding GMOs and their associated pesticides, both as a citrus farmer in Texas and as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for the Middle East and North Africa. I am especially mindful of the Egyptian people’s suffering after decades of exposure to some toxic pesticides in agricultural practices that have left many with debilitating conditions. I am pleased to stand behind a study that will release tangible, useful results that are publicly accessible so we can better understand the effects of GM crops and their associated pesticides on health, in order to inform our further steps of action.”

Factor GMO is now building a powerful Public Board, with Kabil being the second official member. Last week it was announced that the Founder President of the international private Swiss Merchant Banking Advisory firm Najadi & Partners AG, Pascal Najadi, was the first official Factor GMO Public Board member and donor.

Najadi welcomed Kabil to the Public Board, “I am honored to have the Egyptian Celebrity and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Mahmoud Kabil as my colleague on the international Factor GMO Public Board. His wealth of humanitarian experience all over the world is a real asset for us. His deep insight in to the agricultural and health world of Egypt is also of paramount importance.”

The "Factor GMO" international Public Board is being created to support the study by working with the media and the general public to discuss the need for precautionary science related to GMOs and pesticides, to protect public health worldwide.

The "Factor GMO" Public Board will include members with different points of views regarding GMO safety, however all members will agree on the need for precautionary science.

The Public Board will also support the public, corporate and government funding process for ‘Factor GMO’ and future precautionary science projects. However, the Public Board will have absolutely no involvement in the scientific study.

Elena Sharoykina, Initiator of the Factor GMO project, director and co-founder of Russian non-government organization National Association for Genetic Safety (NAGS), said, “GMOs and pesticides are products that affect everyone, so the Public Board aims to unite all concerned inhabitants of planet Earth in investigating this issue. Only united we can find out the truth.”

Study details

The "Factor GMO" study will investigate the health effects of a genetically modified (GMO) crop (a variety of GM Maize) that has been in our food and animal feed supplies for many years. It will answer the question: Is this GMO food and associated pesticide safe for human health?

Farmers, retailers, governments, scientists, and consumers have been involved in a heated international debate since GM foods were introduced in 1994. However, there has never been a scientific study that is comprehensive enough to give them a clear answer regarding the safety for human health of any one GM food – until now.

"Factor GMO" will be the largest and most detailed long-term experiment ever conducted on a GM food and its associated pesticide. It will add invaluable data of unprecedented power to enable regulators, governments and the general public of every country to answer the question: Is the GM food and associated pesticide really safe at real world levels of consumption/exposure?

The study will also establish a new, higher standard for the rigorous testing of the safety of GM foods and their associated pesticides that will be applicable world-wide.

To find out full details regarding the Factor GMO study please visit our website: www.factorgmo.com

The Factor GMO website is now available in English, Russian, Spanish, German, French, Italian, and Chinese.

Visit us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/factorgmo
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2. Swiss merchant banker gives backing to $ 5 million "Factor GMO" science project

Ivan Lambert
Factor GMO, 18 Feb 2015
http://factorgmo.com/swiss-merchant-banker-gives-backing-25-million-factor-gmo-science-project/

The world’s largest and most comprehensive study on GMO and pesticide safety – "Factor GMO" – which held its public launch in November 2014 in London, announced on Wednesday that the Founder President of the international private Swiss Merchant Banking Advisory firm Najadi & Partners AG, Mr. Pascal Najadi, is its first official Public Board member and donor.

The "Factor GMO" international Public Board is being created to support the study by working with the media and the general public to discuss the need for precautionary science related to GMOs and pesticides, to protect public health worldwide.

The "Factor GMO" Public Board will include members with different points of views regarding GMO safety, however all members will agree on the need for precautionary science.

The Public Board will also support the public, corporate, and government funding process for "Factor GMO" and future precautionary science projects. However, the Public Board will have absolutely no involvement in the scientific study.

Elena Sharoykina, Initiator of the Factor GMO project, director and co-founder of Russian non-government organization National Association for Genetic Safety (NAGS), said, “We are glad to announce the launch of the ‘Factor GMO’ Public Board and we look forward to its development. Trying to find out the ‘scientific truth’ through independent scientific experiments will enable society to reach a consensus on GMOs and pesticides. ‘Factor GMO’ has taken a different public approach to the usually secretive science surrounding GMOs and pesticides. This neutral upfront stance has been taken so as to provide the public, farmers and governments worldwide with clear and trustworthy answers on GMO and pesticide safety.”

Pascal Najadi, the first official Factor GMO Public Board member stated, “It is a great honor for me to join the "Factor GMO" Public Board and to support its endeavors to conduct the world’s largest independent GMO and pesticide study and to release the results publicly across the world. I personally believe that GMO foods could pose a serious threat to humanity if they are not studied carefully. We need to establish the facts on the level of potential danger. ‘Factor GMO’ being independent and truly global will offer concrete tangible results to make those assessments via a due diligence process in the comprehensive study that is soon to start. We are now establishing a powerful international Public Board that will enable to create more and more momentum for the ‘Factor GMO’ project.”

Factor GMO: Upfront and Neutral

* Unlike most studies in this field of science "Factor GMO" decided to announce publicly that we will be performing a study on GMO and pesticide safety before starting the experiment.

* "Factor GMO" has gone to great lengths to make sure that only "neutral" scientists who are not linked to the industry that produces GM crops/pesticides or the anti-GMO movement are involved in the scientific review board that oversees the neutral study.

* A full list of "Factor GMO" funders will be provided, with exact donation amounts, when the full funding campaign for the "Factor GMO" experiment is completed, due to contractual agreements with the funders. This process has already started with the announcement that Mr. Najadi is the first public board member and donor.

* "Factor GMO" will be providing full public access to all the raw data from the study when the results are published

* "Factor GMO" would have also published the locations where the study will be conducted in Western Europe and Russia. However, this is sadly not possible due to possible interference with the study by interested parties.

* "Factor GMO" believes that no funding from the manufacturer of any product should be involved in safety studies on those products, this is why no funds will be accepted from the industry that produces GM crops and their associated pesticides.