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Debate sparks awareness of GM products
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A WAR of words by two online celebrities has sparked a new round of debate on the safety of Genetically Modified (GM) food, with some experts appealing for the consumers’ right to be informed when buying GM products.
Fang Zhouzi, a biochemist and vocal supporter of GM technology, led more than 20 volunteers in eating GM corn on Saturday at the China Agricultural University.
On Sunday, well-known talk show host Cui Yongyuan questioned Fang on his microblog.
Fang took aim at Cui’s microblog postings, and as the debate raged, netizens and experts joined in the discussion.
Genetically modified products are controversial worldwide. While the sparring between the two did not end with any agreement or conclusion, consumer awareness of GM products was heightened as more and more of GM food make their way into our daily lives.
According to the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications, 28 countries have planted GM crops, and on the planet 81 percent of soybeans, 35 percent of corn and 30 percent of oilseed rape are GM products.
“In China, more than half of cooking oil consumption is soybean oil, and 90 percent of that oil is made from GM soybeans,” said Wang Xiaoyu, deputy secretary general of the soybean association of Heilongjiang Province.
“People have the right to know what they are eating and the choice of whether to have GM food should be left to them,” said Cheng Tongshun, doctoral supervisor with the Zhou Enlai School of Government at Nankai University. “Consumers’ right to be informed and freedom of choice should be safeguarded,” Cheng added.
Although China has a strict trademark mechanism for GM products, including clear labeling, many transgenetic products are still without such labels.
Xinhua reporters found cooking oil products of well-known brands labeled GM or non-GM in several big supermarkets in Beijing and Tianjin.
For other products, including soy sauce and soy milk, the labels were missing, especially among those made by lesser-known manufacturers.
Nearly all fresh agricultural products lacked GM information, although some fresh transgenetic agricultural products are popular at local markets.
Liu Junhai, a professor at Renmin University, said businesses and food and drug safety and health departments should interact to set up a data network on transgenetic products.
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