Does the Chinese really try to genetically modify the world?

Recently, the once-controversial topic of genetic modification has again entered the public's view. An editorial expressed concern about the overall promotion of genetically modified crops in China, and stressed that “the whole China cannot collectively try to eat genetically modified staple foods”. In fact, however, GM technology has been widely used in the United States, Canada, Japan, and other countries, and the United States is the “excellent representative” of long-term “try-to-eat” genetically modified foods.

U.S.-listed genetically modified foods are subject to rigorous review of up to 3 years in 3 departments. Federal law allows labels not to be prompted

In the United States, the regulatory framework for genetically modified technologies is mainly established by three departments, namely USDA (United States Department of Agriculture), FDA (United States Food and Drug Administration) and EPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency). Among them, the USDA is responsible for the review of agricultural safety and environmental safety, the FDA is responsible for the supervision of food and feed safety, and the EPA is responsible for reviewing whether it is safe to use as an insecticide.

In the United States, each of the listed GM products has passed the rigorous review of the three departments for up to three years. The FDA's official position is: The safety of the listed food has been fully proved, as to whether it is a genetically modified food, which is not related to it. It doesn't matter if it is safe, so there is no need for additional prompts on the label. The FDA requires that foods specifically labelled include only those manufactured under special circumstances that have changed the nutritional structure of the food and that involve food safety issues, and that no special label is required. Therefore, although there are already 64 countries including the European Union, China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Brazil, and India in the world that have made legal provisions for the labeling of genetically modified foods, there is no similar provision in the U.S. federal law.

Only three states passed the law to require genetically modified foods to be labeled, and "non-GM" certification is not mainstreamed.

Only three states in the United States passed the GM Labelling Act this year: In early May 2013, the Vermont State Assembly passed the GM Labeling Act. At the end of May, Connecticut passed the GM Marking Act. In June 2013, Maine passed the GM Marking Act. The three states require that all genetically modified food labels must identify the ingredients of the food so that consumers can make informed choices.

Some environmental groups and people still reject GM technology and often launch activities to call for GM products. Non-GMO Project (non-GM project) is a typical representative of the non-profit organization. It strongly advocates non-genetically modified products and emphasizes that consumers have the right to know whether the products they consume are genetically modified or even set up their own product certification systems. It is hoped that certified products that have been evaluated and paid for, such as a successful passing of the relevant inspection process, will be able to obtain a “non-GMO project approval” certification seal, but the official website of the Non-GMO Project also expressly stated that due to the limitations of testing methods, this Certification does not have substantial legal and scientific effects. It does not really prove that the product does not contain any non-GM ingredients.

It should be noted that in June this year, the FDA approved Non-GMO Project to add non-genetically modified (GM) signs to non-genetically modified meat products and liquid egg products. This is the first time that the United States Department of Agriculture allowed this type of labeling. However, FDA spokesperson Cathy Cochran also stressed that this approach does not mean that the FDA will change its attitude towards GM or non-GM products.

The U.S. Regulatory Procedures for New Varieties of Genetically Modified Organisms are Publicly Available Online. The public can ask questions and the government must respond

In fact, the public’s right to know and choose the genetically modified products in the U.S. is realized through another form: When a new genetically modified variety has gone through the government approval process, it must be put online and the public has two opportunities to present it. Ask questions, and the government needs to respond to questions from every citizen.

Over the past 10 years, Americans have eaten 3 trillion genetically modified meals

The United States began commercial cultivation of genetically modified crops in 1996. It is the largest country in the world for the cultivation of genetically modified crops, and there are many varieties of crops grown such as cotton, corn, soybeans, pumpkins, beets, and papaya. The proportion of cultivation of GM crops in the United States has been growing rapidly over the past decade. According to the latest statistics of the USDA, the planting area of ​​GM maize in the United States accounts for 90% of the total planted area of ​​corn, and the proportion of planted area of ​​GM soybeans is 93%, of which more than half is for use in the United States. The GMA (American Grocery Manufacturers Association) pointed out that currently 75% to 80% of traditional processed foods contain genetically modified ingredients, such as ready-to-eat cereals, tofu and other soy-derived foods, and foods made from corn, soybeans, and rapeseed. Genetically modified ingredients “melt in” common processed foods in the form of oils and plant proteins. In addition, a large amount of feed containing genetically modified components is used to keep animals, and dairy products or meat products provided by these animals will eventually enter the market. Dr. Roger Beachy, former head of the USDA National Institutes of Grain and Agriculture, once pointed out that “GM foods are ubiquitous in the lives of Americans. In the past 10 years, Americans have eaten 3 trillion genetically modified meals.” So far, the United States has not had a security incident caused by the consumption of genetically modified foods.

Survey Shows Only 2% of U.S. Consumers Worried About GM Food Safety

Although criticism and questioning of GM technology have gained widespread media attention in the past few years, the vast majority of consumers in the United States do not reject GM foods. A survey by the non-profit organization IFIC (International Food Information Commission) for US consumers shows that: “Which areas do you worry about food safety?” 29% of consumers expressed concern about germs and pollution, and 21% worried about it. During the production process, 13% were worried about additives and chemicals. Only 2% of U.S. consumers expressed concern about GM foods; when the investigators asked further questions about “what foods would you avoid,” consumers were more concerned about the “sugar” in the food? Only 0.5% of people said that they would avoid genetically modified foods; and for existing food labels, more consumers think that they should list nutritional information, food safety information, and ingredient information, only 3%. Consumers want to label genetically modified information; in a survey of consumer buying behavior, 87% of consumers said that biotechnology does not affect their shopping choices. The survey also showed that only 33% of U.S. consumers support animal genetically modified products. Compared with plant genetically modified products, the concern for animal genetically modified products is obviously more, but when told that the current GM genetically modified products are safe Of the consumers, about two-thirds of them turned to buy.

The general public in the United States believe that foods that can be bought in the market should be safe after being approved. Therefore, they will not deliberately choose whether to use genetically modified or non-transgenic products, but they should pay more attention to cost-effectiveness. (Bio Valley)

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