The "Global Times" recently published an article titled "Research on Genetic Transformation of the Eight Kinds of Staple Food," which raises questions about the safety of genetically modified technology. Yesterday, the Ministry of Agriculture released a news release. Lin Min, a member of the National Committee on Genetically Modified Organisms, said that any genetically modified foods that are listed through safety evaluations are as safe as traditional foods (according to the September 2nd "Beijing Times (Weibo)").
Is it safe to use genetically modified foods? How many of the rice and soybeans that we eat in our daily lives are genetically modified? These two seemingly simple questions cannot be answered accurately by the vast majority of us. Contrary to this, many people can say that "genetic concerns" have been linked to diseases such as cancer and infertility. Against this background of cognition, the author believes that the intention of the Ministry of Agriculture's official website to respond to questions and eliminate puzzles through expert opinions is far from enough.
According to the statement of the "Regulations on the Administration of Agricultural Genetically Modified Organisms" (hereinafter referred to as the "Regulations") passed by the State Council in 2001, agricultural genetically modified organisms present varying degrees of danger to humans, animals, plants, microorganisms, and ecological environments. The "biology" here includes genetically modified food crops. The state implements a hierarchical management evaluation system for such biological safety, and is divided into four levels according to the degree of danger. The specific division criteria are set by the Ministry of Agriculture. Since the danger of agricultural genetically modified organisms is beyond doubt, what are the risks to humans in China's genetically modified soybeans, corn, and rice? Which level does it belong to? What level of genetically modified (GM) organisms are produced on the market? The national agricultural department should make such information public.
For the "safety evaluation" of genetically modified organisms, the "Regulations" require that evaluation standards and technical specifications be formulated by the Ministry of Agriculture. The Ministry of Agriculture has also established the National Commission for the Safety of Agricultural Genetically Modified Organisms (hereinafter referred to as the "Safety Committee"). Currently, it has served as the third session of the Security Committee with 60 members from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, quality inspection, health, and agricultural systems. However, according to reports, during the “Twelfth Five-Year Plan†period, China’s relevant departments allocated up to RMB 30 billion in R&D grants for genetically modified varieties, which is 166 times more than conventional breeding funds for the same period. Considering the attractiveness of genetically modified R&D projects for agricultural scientific research departments, can the “safety assessment†process of the experts of the agricultural research department of the Safety Committee be made public? Can experts who are closely related to genetically modified R&D projects evade the issue? Can "safe" agricultural genetically modified organisms disclose their key data to the public? Can they attract the public and non-governmental organizations to participate in the "safety assessment"?
Regardless of whether GM foods and non-genetically modified foods are superior or inferior, as the average consumer, the first requirement is to have the right to know - know which agricultural products and processed foods are GM products. In this regard, the "Regulations" stipulates that the state implements a labeling system for agricultural genetically modified organisms, and requests producers and operators to establish production records and operating archives. However, in the daily life, how is the system implemented? Is there a clear identification of the genetically modified products that flow from farmers' markets across the country every day? Is it possible that sales can be recorded in the operating archives? These issues require the national agricultural sector. Relevant departments of food safety supervision seriously answered questions with strict enforcement.
In summary, the safety of genetically modified foods “self-certification†should start with the relevant state departments to strengthen information disclosure, open evaluation procedures, and open business archives. (Procuratorial Daily)
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