Recently, the European Commission announced new regulations for the use of genetically modified crops, requiring that if human food or animal feed contains more than 0.9% of genetically modified crops, product labels must be labeled. What are genetically modified foods on people's table? Is genetically modified food a “moonlight box†that can bring infinite happiness to people, or a “pandora box†that may have an impact on health? Recently, the reporter conducted an investigation.
"hidden" callouts
On July 20th, the reporter visited supermarkets such as Beijing Carrefour, Wankelong, and Jingkelong. It was discovered that the most commonly consumed soybean oil and corn oil are consumed by consumers. Although the genetic tagging system is generally implemented, most of them are “hidden†in explanations. The inconspicuous corner. In the packaging of some brands of soybean oil, salad oil, blended oil, and other products, the reporter saw that in a dense mixture of words: processing raw materials for genetically modified soybeans, processing raw materials for transgenic rapeseed and other words, consumers should carefully Pay attention to find it.
The reporter noted that products such as soybean milk, bean flour, biscuits, potato chips, instant noodles and other deep-processed raw materials containing soybean phospholipids have not been labeled as genetically modified foods, and papayas, tomatoes, and tomato sauce have not been labeled, and it is impossible to know whether they are Transgenic."
However, non-genetically modified foods are clearly marked. The reporter saw that some products using non-genetically modified soybeans do not need to be marked, but some manufacturers have placed the “non-genetically modified†label in the most prominent position. For example, Luhua, Fulinmen and other brands of soybean oil and peanut oil are marked with "using non-genetically modified soybeans or peanuts" prominently, and white tofu is prominently marked "using non-genetically modified soybeans."
In the interview, many consumers did not know about genetic modification. “What is genetically modified, usually buy the oil only to pay attention to the price and brand, did not read the ingredients.†An uncle is buying oil. Ms. Wang, a citizen, said that the foods sold in supermarkets are all inspected, quality should be guaranteed, and there is little concern about this issue when buying.
"The fact that some soybean products and feeds are not labeled does not mean that there is no genetically modified component in them." Luo Yuannan, director of the food and agricultural project of Greenpeace, said that because the scope of genetically modified signs in China is currently limited to primary processed products, some soy milk, soy sauce, and feed In other industries, using genetically modified soybeans or soybean meal as raw materials is an ironclad fact. According to the data released by the state, some of the GM soybeans imported into China each year have entered the food industry.
It is understood that the State Council promulgated the "Regulations on the Management of Agricultural Genetically Modified Organisms" in 2001 and mentioned the issue of genetically modified markers for the first time. In 2002, the Ministry of Agriculture issued the "Administrative Measures on the Labeling of Agricultural Genetically Modified Organisms," which was followed by the Ministry of Health and promulgated the "Measures for the Hygiene Management of Genetically Modified Foods." According to these laws and regulations, starting from March 2002, the genetically modified crops that appear on the Chinese market must be clearly marked, and the scope of genetically modified markers should be limited to 17 products of five categories: soybeans, corn, rapeseed, cotton, and tomato. The genetically modified foods are marked in the following manner: In the case of stereotyped packaging, they are marked on the marked position of the label; in bulk, they are marked on the price tag or on a separate signboard.
Security is controversial
Transgenic technology refers to the separation of a gene fragment from an organism, which is modified to be introduced into the genome of another organism, so as to achieve the purpose of transforming the organism. Transgenic technology breaks the boundaries between species. For example, researchers can implant a gene for cold-resistance in fish into a tomato and artificially create a new breed of hardy tomato. Therefore, genetically modified organisms are the life created in the laboratory. Foods containing genetically modified organisms are genetically modified foods.
"In fact, the long-term safety of genetically modified foods is not conclusive." Luo Yuannan said that the process of genetic modification may have unintended effects on living organisms. Genetically modified foods may have an impact on health, such as causing allergic reactions, toxicity, antibiotic marker genes may cause resistance to humans and animals and so on. Not only genetically modified foods have a potential long-term health impact, genetically modified crops also pose a threat to the environment, such as threats to biodiversity or ecological pollution. "Genetically modified foods are not better eaten, more nutritious, and have health risks. Why should we take this unnecessary risk?" Luo Yuannan said.
However, some experts also put forward different views. Huang Dazhao, deputy director of the Chinese Society of Biological Engineering and researcher at the Institute of Biotechnology of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, introduced that agricultural biotechnology breeding is an emerging strategic industry. Only by accelerating the combination of genetically modified breeding techniques with traditional breeding techniques can we continuously improve the yield and quality of agricultural products. Let the Chinese people live a better life.
Regarding the safety of genetically modified organisms, Huang Dazhao pointed out that in fact hundreds of millions of people at home and abroad have consumed genetically modified foods for years and found no harm to their health. Globally, hundreds of millions of hectares of genetically modified crops are planted each year, and no ecological damage has been found.
Luo Yunbo, dean of the College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering of China Agricultural University, also believes that compared with traditional foods, some genetically modified foods are even safer than non-genetically modified foods and can be eaten safely for genetically modified foods that have been approved for entry into the market.
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Respect consumers' right to know
Greenpeace recently released the first "Guidelines for avoiding genetically modified foods" (hereinafter referred to as the "Guide"), covering nearly 400 common brands in the market, involving infant foods, dairy products, alcoholic drinks, juice drinks, and other foods. field.
The “Guide†specifies in detail the 50 companies and 78 brands that China promises not to use genetically modified raw materials, including domestic and foreign brands such as Danone, Heinz and Dove.
"The long-term safety of genetically modified foods is not yet known, and many consumers are inclined to purchase non-genetically modified foods. Therefore, the publication of this guideline aims to help implement the consumer's right to know and choose, allowing consumers to make more confident and clear choices. "Wang Weikang, director of the Greenpeace Food and Agriculture Project, said.
According to reports, in February of this year, Greenpeace commissioned South China International Market Research Corporation to carry out a “Cognitive Survey of Genetically Modified Foods†for consumers in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. The results showed that 40% of consumers would choose non-genetically modified food brands, and only 24% would be willing to choose GM food brands. 90% of respondents requested that genetically modified foods must be marked. If foods containing genetically modified ingredients do not indicate identity, 70% of respondents said that they would weaken their confidence in the brand.
“The consumer’s right to know and choices should be fully respected. Market-transformed genetically modified foods should be clearly and clearly told to consumers. Through extensive publicity, they actually help eliminate misunderstandings and facilitate the promotion of genetically modified products.†Yangzhou Xing The person in charge of Hai Trading Company stated that he is advanced. China Quality News
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