Experts Say GM Foods Needn't To Be Overly Worried

With the continuous development of transgenic research, genetically modified foods have entered more and more people's daily lives, and the safety of genetically modified foods has always been a topic of concern. On November 30, 2010, the "Agricultural Biotechnology and Food Safety Media Seminar" was held in Beijing. The meeting discussed the safety issues of genetically modified foods.

GM food undergoes stringent biosafety evaluation before it is approved for listing

At present, China's food safety evaluation method has been the most rigorous and comprehensive evaluation method in the world. Experts pointed out that all genetically modified foods that are approved for listing are safe and there are no hidden dangers in food safety. According to Professor Yang Xiaoguang, a researcher of the Institute of Nutrition and Food Safety of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention and deputy chairman of the National Agriculture Genetically Modified Organism Safety Committee, in the process of safety evaluation of genetically modified organisms, the National Commission for the Safety of Agricultural Genetically Modified Organisms follows scientific principles and risk analysis principles. Principles of substantial equivalence, principle of individual cases, principle of gradual adoption, principle of prevention, principle of re-evaluation, safety assessment of genetically modified crops and food products. These safety evaluations aim to find the maximum possible risks in the shortest possible time and ensure that the genetically modified crops or foods do not have adverse effects on the environment and human health, and that the main components, micronutrients and anti-nutrition factors are not There are no biological differences in genetically modified crops or foods.

Yang Xiaoguang pointed out: "China's agricultural genetically modified organisms have a wide range of safety evaluation management. Whether they are genetically modified plants, genetically modified animals, or genetically modified microorganisms, or genetically modified products derived from these transgenic plants, microorganisms, are managed in safety evaluation. At the same time, all aspects are fully covered, and the whole process of safety management is implemented in all aspects of industrialization and application of genetically modified technology from research and development, market processing, import and export trade, etc. No GM foods that have been approved for listing have been found to cause any human health problems. Acute, subacute or chronic hazard."

There is no timetable for the commercial cultivation of three transgenic crops in China

Luo Yunbo, Dean of the College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering at China Agricultural University, pointed out that transgenic technology is a more accurate, more predictable, and more efficient "hybrid" technology. The use of transgenic technology can accurately obtain the required genes, and greatly shorten the breeding years and costs, allowing the transfer of useful genes and deleted useless genes with clear, well-defined structures, and to ensure safety. Although the source of the insect-resistant Bt gene is Bacillus thuringiensis, the Bt protein itself is non-toxic and can only be activated in the insect's intestine alkaline environment and binds to receptors on the insect's intestinal cell surface. However, the human stomach environment is acidic and there is no corresponding receptor on the surface of intestinal cells, so Bt protein is not toxic to humans. The Bt protein that is eaten by humans will be digested and broken down like other proteins in the food and become nutrients. In the acute toxicity test of Bt protein, when the amount of intragastric administration has reached the internationally recognized safe dose, it did not cause toxic death in laboratory animals. The transgenic foods containing Bt protein did not show any adverse effects in chronic toxicity experiments.

In November 2009, the Ministry of Agriculture announced that it has approved two corn security certificates for genetically modified rice and transgenic phytase genes, which are limited to production and application in Hubei and Shandong provinces respectively. When asked if the GM rice is to be grown commercially on a large scale, Luo Yunbo said: “There is no timetable for promotion. But this should not be a particularly long process, but because it is not only a food safety issue, it is also related to People's acceptance, public opinion, etc., so it is difficult to determine the timetable. If the people accept a high degree, it may soon come out."

It is reported that currently there are 19 kinds of commercialized transgenic crops approved by China, and there are 12 kinds of raw materials for food processing, including soybean (7 cases), corn (30 cases), cotton (28 cases), rape (12 cases), tomato (9 cases), zucchini (2 pieces), melon (1 piece), papaya (2 pieces), beet (2 pieces), flax (1 piece), potato (3 pieces), sweet pepper (1 piece). However, most of them are not on the market. The most commonly used agricultural products are papayas. Most of the papayas on the market are genetically modified products.