Is the genetically modified food unsafe?

The cover of "China Economic Weekly" in the 14th of 2022

"China Economic Weekly" reporter Wang Hongru | Beijing report

Seed safety is of great significance. In the words of Academician Yuan Longping in the "father of hybrid rice": "At the critical moment, a small seed can trip over a large country." At present The second generation is hybrid breeding; the third generation is genetically modified; the fourth generation is gene editing. In these four agents, which generation does my country have an advantage? Which generation of breeding technology is possible in the future? Does GM technology have new development space?

In response to the above issues, a reporter from China Economic Weekly interviewed Wang Hongguang, Executive Director of the China Strategy Center of Peking University. As the former deputy director of the Rural and Social Development Department of the Ministry of Science and Technology and the former director of the China Biotechnology Development Center, Wang Hongguang has continued to pay attention to the issues of Chinese biotechnology, biological safety and food safety in recent years. Essence At present, he is also the dean of the Chinese People's Life and Safety Research Institute of the West China Hospital of Sichuan University.

Hybrid breeding has been widely used

"China Economic Weekly": What are the characteristics of these four -generation technologies? Which generation is my country's dominant breeding?

Wang Hongguang: The first generation of conventional species is to choose the good seeds directly from the long crops. This is the longest -used breeding technology in history and is still used to this day.

The second -generation hybrid breeding is the technology that Yuan Longping, the "father of hybrid rice", used his life to study his life. Now it is the main breeding of the seeds of our country. Hybrid breeding is to choose good varieties and breeding materials for hybridization to find the advantages of hybridization.

The third -generation genetically modified technology is currently encouraged by the United States and used more; some European countries are more resistant; China, Japan, and Brazil are more cautious between the United States and Europe. At present, my country has approved some of the cotton, cotton and other crops that do not eat directly, and the approval of direct -eating genetically modified agricultural products is very strict.

The fourth -generation gene editing usually does not need to be added with external genes. Some regulations are made on the existing genes to greatly increase grain output. Now the United States and my country have this technology at the same time. Forefront.

"China Economic Weekly": What are the applications of hybrid breeding? Is it widely used?

Wang Hongguang: At present, the research and applications of hybrid rice, corn, cotton, and rapeseed in my country have gone at the forefront of the world. Hylene wheat and soybeans have been studied for many years, which is difficult, but it has also achieved certain results. Hybrid rice is divided into early rice and late rice. In the past, everyone thought that Mr. Yuan Longping's hybrid rice quality was not very good. Later, Mr. Yuan Longping had solved this problem well, but there are still some misunderstandings. I believe that the utilization of hybrid rice is not the utilization rate of the hybrid rice. higher. In fact, Yuan Longping's hybrid rice has been widely used, and my country's rice, corn, and cotton are almost all hybrid. Hybrid breeding is the second -generation breeding technology. China is leading in the world, especially the research and development and application of hybrid rice, hybrid corn, hybrid rapeseed, etc. my country is the world's leading.

The approval of direct consumption of genetically modified products is very strict

"China Economic Weekly": Is the genetically modified technology safe? Is my country a sound legal and regulatory system in genetically modified?

Wang Hongguang: From a global perspective, genetically modified technology has been studied for fifty or sixty years. Most scientists believe that there is no security problem. Food has controversial. Regarding the safety of genetically modified foods, countries also pay attention to whether there are potential risks in its development. International organizations such as the International Food Code and Economic and Cooperation Development Organization have formulated guiding documents for the evaluation of genetically modified biological safety risk.

The Chinese government has always attached great importance to genetically modified safety issues. As early as the 1990s, a series of rules and regulations such as the "GMS" and "Administrative Measures for Agricultural Gas" were formulated, and they always adhered to the research of transgenic technology and continuously strengthened biological safety management. For example, in 1996, the sector regulations of genetically modified security evaluation were promulgated, becoming one of the countries that implement genetically modified safety management earlier. In 2001, the State Council officially implemented the "Regulations on GM Biological Safety Management", which clearly specified the responsibility of the Ministry of Agriculture, and together with 10 departments such as science and technology, health, environmental protection, foreign economy trade, inspection and quarantine, to form a ministerial -level joint meeting. In the management link, it is targeted at the products and processes, covering all aspects such as research trials, production, processing, operation, and import and export. It can be said that my country has basically built genetically modified biological safety regulations, technical regulations and management systems.

"China Economic Weekly": GMI technology, what is the application of countries? In the context of the world's grain crisis, have we considering the application of genetically modified technology?

Wang Hongguang: GM technology, currently applied more in the United States. Americans feel that genetically modified foods are safe, so they do not mark genetically modified products and directly invest in the market. On the contrary, Europeans feel that genetically modified foods are not safe. If ordinary people consume, they must be identified on the product and they believe in talents.

In the United States and Europe, a policy bottom line we always grasp is: actively research and development, carefully industrialization, and absolute security. Let the public have the right to know (whether a genetically modified product), the right to choose (or not eat), and the right to suggest (how to manage). In essence, it is a little more open than Europeans and is more conservative than Americans. At present, only individual genetically modified technology has been approved, such as cotton, trees, papaya, etc. Most of them have not been approved directly. At present, the most applied genetic application of large crops is genetically modified cotton. Earlier, the most in the United States accounted for 93%of my country's cotton market. Now 97%of the genetically modified cotton market has been recaptured by my country and has squeezed the United States out. It can be seen in this regard to see the role of genetically modified crops. "China Economic Weekly": From the perspective of experts, is genetically modified food safe?

Wang Hongguang: GMA is a problem of extensive arguments in the world. The scientific, industrial community and the public have different views or opinions. From the scientific principles, genetically modified risks are risky, so strict safety evaluation must be conducted before the genetically modified product is listed. From the practice, the genetically modified food that my country has approved is safe, and the country has undergone scientific and strict security evaluations. Articles and arguments about genetically modified unsafe in the past proved that the evidence was insufficient afterwards. In other words, so far, there is not enough scientific evidence to prove that the genetically modified is not safe, but it does not rule out a longer period of time. The problem now is to provide more scientific knowledge, facts and data to the people. Those experts who studied genetically modified technology have worked hard for a lifetime and have not been criticized. Their research cannot contribute to the country's guarantee of ensuring food security. Approval is mainly because of fear of being unsafe. From the perspective of experts, management departments, and the public, everyone's concerns and considerations are right.

"China Economic Weekly": Recently due to the problem of world food security, does the genetically modified in my country have room for development?

Wang Hongguang: In the background of the world's food crisis, everyone does feel that my country's food safety pressure has increased compared to before. Recently, experts have suggested that the government considers whether the genetically modified policy can be relaxed a little bit, and more products. The experts have studied for so many years. If they have not been approved, the results will not be converted. This is also a problem. At present, the state of food safety is that China does not use genetically modified foods to ensure that everyone is full. The problem is that if the food on the market is tight, how to ensure the goal of full and safe, the management policy of genetically modified agricultural products may change, of course, the premise is to ensure absolute safety.

"China Economic Weekly": We often see steely soybean oil and other edible oil from supermarkets. Where are the sources?

Wang Hongguang: In the past, the self -sufficient rate of soybeans in my country was 100%, and now about 86%of soybeans are imported, and 84%of imported soybeans are from Brazil and the United States. Brazil and the United States are 100%genetically modified. Because of this, some experts wonder why my country can import genetically modified soybeans from abroad, and cannot grow genetically modified soybeans? Now we import soybeans mainly use soybean oil. After the oil is squeezed, the beancakes are used for feed, but they are all genetically modified. Bean cakes are eaten by livestock, and people eat all kinds of meat and livestock products. In fact, they contain genetically modified ingredients. The facts of many years have proven to be safe.

Gene editing technology will greatly improve the seed safety coefficient

"China Economic Weekly": What is the current progress of gene editing technology in my country?

Wang Hongguang: Gene editing technology means that it does not add exogenous genes, but for some regulation on the existing genes, which can greatly increase grain output. Gene editing technology is equivalent to children playing with building blocks. It can create creatures that are not in the world, and have created some new species.

Popularly speaking, the biological tools for gene editing are equivalent to a pair of scissors. The original two scissors were the patent of Americans, and we had to pay the patent fee. Now our experts have developed our tools. Gene editing technology is like hybrid breeding technology in the early 1970s, which has matured. This may bypass the public's unreasonable transgenic technology and allow gene editing technology to be directly used for directly for the gene editing technology directly for it. Crop breeding and can lead the world in front of the world.

"China Economic Weekly": What is the future development prospect of gene editing technology?

Wang Hongguang: Gene editing technology has shown very good development prospects. This is like generating potatoes with tomatoes. Potatoes grow underground, tomatoes grow on the ground. After combining these two things, it will form something that is not in the world. Once the gene editing technology breaks through, it will have a significant improvement in my country's entire industry, and my country's seed safety factor will also be greatly improved. It is expected that everyone will see the variety of gene editing and eat gene editing products as soon as possible. There is no safety concern for genetically modified products. Always respect the public's right to know, choose and recommend the right to genetic products, and ensure food safety and food safety. I believe that the efforts of scientists will make the people eat better and safer.

(This article published in "China Economic Weekly", No. 14, 2022)

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