Rice, cooking oil, papaya, tofu, corn... You might say "I eat these things every day." Well, if you are told that these foods are actually related to genetic modification, what would you think?
An edible oil is labeled "transgenic" inconspicuously.
A certain edible oil marked "non-transgenic" prominently
The reporter’s investigation found that most of the interviewed citizens think that “the issue of genetically modified foods is still in dispute is still an academic issueâ€. Today, genetically modified foods are forcibly invading the Chinese people's table. In fields such as edible oil, genetic modification is clearly no longer a reality. A distant scene in the legend.
The birth of genetically modified foods for decades, because of the huge interest involved, has become a field of conspiracy theory and other concentrating areas in all countries, and is no exception in China, but the reality continues to add evidence for these speculations.
Genetically modified cooking oil becomes mainstream
On February 15th, the Jingbao reporter once again visited supermarkets such as Shenzhen Carrefour, Shibao, and China Resources Wanjia. The investigation focused on edible oil and various bean products. About 10% of the edible oil does not have the label related to genetic modification. About 20% of edible oils are marked with "non-genetically modified crushing" in prominent places. Typical examples are Jinlongyu corn oil and Fulinmen corn oil.
Similarly, “Arowana†and “Fulinmenâ€, the other two products of the same size, in the same position as “non-genetically modified crushâ€, appear as “natural grain blend oil†and “second generation edible blend oilâ€. Below the two oil side ingredients list, the words “Soybean oil processing raw material is genetically modified soybean†and “Rapeseed oil processing raw material is genetically modified rapeseed†are marked in small letters, and similarly labeled edible oil accounts for about 70% of the product type.
Similarly for the 5 liters packaged Arowana fish consumption of the second generation of blend oil and Arowana corn germ oil, the price is different, were 62.6 yuan and 77.4 yuan.
In the three supermarkets, 30 consumers who bought oil were randomly interviewed. 27 people bought “GM oil†and 25 people “do not know that it is genetically modifiedâ€. Of the three people who bought non-GM oil, only one named Mr. Tian was “specially buying non-genetically modified genes.†He felt that “when he wakes up, non-genetically modified oils become a minorityâ€.
Jiusan Group once refused to use genetically modified soybean oil. On February 15, Jiuzhai Group staff told Jingbao that the company’s factories in Heilongjiang province are still using non-GM soybeans. However, subsidiaries and processing plants outside Heilongjiang province have already started using genetically modified soybeans.
The soymilk in Shenzhen supermarket basically has the sign of “non-genetically modified soybeanâ€. The staff of Shenzhen Vita (Guangming) Food & Beverage Company told Jingbao that in order to ensure the use of “non-genetically modified soybeansâ€, they only purchase from Heilongjiang. However, the price of non-GM soybeans is “20%-30%†higher than that of GM soybeans. The company is facing a great “cost pressureâ€.
As for soy products such as dried bean curd and tofu, only the tofu packaged by Shenzhen Yimin Foods Co., Ltd. is clearly labeled as “non-GMâ€. The staff of Yimin Food Company told Jingbao that their raw materials are also from Heilongjiang. Although “the price of genetically modified soybeans is much lowerâ€, “Our industry is not the same as the soybean oil industry. They use fat, and we use protein. ".
So where do these genetically modified soybeans come from?
Not only genetically modified soybean corn, but also papaya
In 1996, China, which had just become a soybean importer, imported 1.1 million tons of soybeans throughout the year. According to the China Soybean Industry Association, this figure has soared to about 50 million tons in 2010, a 45-fold increase in 15 years, and the vast majority of imports are currently genetically modified soybeans... imported genetically modified soybeans sold in the Chinese market. The price is only 1.5 yuan, which is 0.3 to 0.4 yuan less than the price of domestic soybeans collected and stored every year.
Heilongjiang Province once took "Defending Longjiang Soybeans" as a strategy, but according to the Heilongjiang Provincial Agriculture Committee, the soybean cultivation area in 2009 was 72.94 million mu. In 2010, it has dropped to 67.17 million mu, which has reduced 5.8 million mu.... 2011 soybean The area may be further reduced.
Some experts said that the price of non-GM soybeans in the United States is about 1,000 US dollars/ton, and the price of genetically modified soybeans is about 440 US dollars/ton, but the price difference between the two domestic soybeans is not so big.
The corn is very similar to the soybean scene. In 2010, China became a net importer of corn, and almost all came from the United States. According to customs statistics, China's total corn imports in 2010 were 1.573 million tons, an increase of 1762%, of which 60% were genetically modified corn.
At the end of November 2010, the Shenzhen Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau blocked a batch of 54,000 tons of corn imported from the United States by COFCO in the Shekou Merchants Port, and said that the product had been detected with GM89034, a genetically modified ingredient that was not allowed in China. This batch of corn was later returned. How did the imported foods undergo genetically modified detection? The Jingbao reporter submitted an interview application to the Shenzhen Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau but was rejected because of the “sensitivity of the genetically modified issueâ€.
According to sources, most of the imported genetically modified corn is processed into feed for feeding pigs, some are processed into starch, and later processed into biscuits and other small foods.
At the symposium on "Agricultural Biotechnology for Food Security" held in Guangzhou in early 2011, the only person in charge of the project for genetically modified papaya cultivation in China, Professor Li Huaping of South China Agricultural University stated that 95% of papayas in the current market are GM papaya. However, papayas sold in the market basically have no genetically modified signs.
GM rice darkness
The Ministry of Agriculture has repeatedly stated that China has not approved GM rice for commercial planting and sales so far.
However, in China, many institutions and media have claimed that there are GM rice sales, rice products, and rice seeds found in many provinces and cities, and Guangdong has also discovered.
Where did these GM rice come from? On August 11, 2005, the Hubei Provincial Government had entrusted the Provincial Department of Agriculture to declare for the first time the “GM Rice Eventâ€, Wuhan Keni Plant Genetics Co., Ltd. and Wuhan Haosheng Seed Coating Agent Limited. Responsible companies and Huazhong Agricultural University's new technology research and development company, in the course of undertaking the experimental production of genetically modified rice, "expanded the expansion of seed production without authorization" and instructed relevant units to punish them. Hubei Province immediately eradicated 10,000 mu of genetically modified rice and provided farmers with subsidies of about four to five hundred yuan per mu. Many local farmers in Hubei have also revealed to the media that the planting of insect-resistant rice had never been suspended from 2005 to 2010 and “sneakedâ€.
The “Economic Observer†reported in May last year that the agricultural department of Yueyang City in Hunan Province carried out a survey in the area and the results were surprising: It was learned that only 3 villages in Huangshajie Town, Yueyang City, failed 3000 pounds of suspected genetically modified rice. The local government pays compensation according to the purchase price of the farmers; it has also been sowed.
In April, the Agricultural Bureau of Changde City in Hunan province also deployed special law enforcement inspections to check for illegal GM rice seeds. According to the local Changde Daily, at least five suspected GM rice varieties have flowed from Hubei into Changde, and a few seeds may have already flowed into the hands of farmers in the name of trial planting.
“Economic Observer†reporters purchased “insect-resistant rice†in Changde and Yueyang's agricultural resource stores. Most of the rice seeds are in bulk. Rice seeds detected by a third-party testing agency in Hong Kong were found to contain “Bailiangyou 93†(“Huang Xiangjiang Seed Industry Co., Ltd. production†on the packaging) and “Yuliangyou 6â€. "(Package display is Wuhan Jiuhuan Seed Industry Co., Ltd. production), "Liuyou 828" (only Jiangsu on the packaging).
In a number of surveys, some rices detected the patent gene BT63 of Huazhong Agricultural University, while others contained unknown genes.
In an interview with the Jingbao reporter from Huazhong Agricultural University, he said: “We have only conducted field trials... Because transgenic rice has good insect resistance and high commercial value, it does not rule out the fact that very few interests in the society are disregarding national laws. Various methods have been used to obtain illegally obtained field trial materials and the possibility of selling and selling products for profit. We strongly condemn such illegal activities. We hope relevant departments will conduct thorough investigation of such acts."
Glossary
Transgenic
Through biotechnology, a gene is isolated from an organism and implanted in another organism. The other organism has thus become a “function†of gene implantation. Hybridization can only be done between species, and transgenes can be made between completely different species. Currently, the world's most popular transgenic plants are two types: herbicide-resistant and insect-resistant. Insect-resistant transgenic plants that transfer to the "BT gene" that was originally present in the bacteria cause the plant itself to produce insecticides. The core technology of transgenic technology lies in determining the "promoter", "terminator" of the gene's position and the gene itself to be transferred. The presence of genetically modified components can generally be determined by detecting 35S (promoter) and NOS (terminator). Many genes were transferred into the genome. Bt63 is a patent gene for pest resistant rice in Huazhong Agricultural University. 1
Proteins that humans have never eaten
Who can guarantee no harm?
Fang Zhouzi once wrote an article and said: "All genes, whether originally rice or human, chemical components are the same, are composed of nucleic acids, will be digested in the human digestive tract, and will not be Human cells absorb and utilize directly."
Why do we need to do experiments to verify the safety of GM foods?
Ayun (a pseudonym), a technical backbone of Shenzhen Transgene Co., Ltd., told reporters that different genes correspond to different proteins and proteins may be harmful. The reporter understands why soymilk practitioners say that "Our industry is not the same as the soybean oil industry. They use fat, and we use protein."
Ayun said that transgenes are carried out across species and transferred into genes that correspond to proteins that may have never been eaten by humans. In order to better express the characteristics of the transferred gene, some researchers will "modify" the gene, and the protein corresponding to the "modified" gene has never existed in nature. And whether the protein is harmful, the first is that if the protein is similar to the protein that appeared in the food, the harmfulness can be generally excluded; the second is to pass the animal test.
In an interview, Fang also said: “What kind of protein will be produced by the transferred genes? This can be predicted and tested... If someone intentionally transfers harmful genes, it is a crime.â€
Professor Li Huaping, a key figure of the Genetically Modified Papaya Team at South China Agricultural University, said in an interview that “Genetic modifications are usually only modifications made in the original functions, they do not change their original functions, and usually only enhance their functions, so their so-called 'new proteins' are still As with the original protein function, its safety is theoretically identical to that of the original protein. If the modification is too large, it may change its basic structure and function, it is another matter."
The reply of Huazhong Agricultural University was much more cautious, repeatedly stressing that it did not manufacture "new protein". “At present, we are transferring the genes of microorganisms in the natural world into plants. We have not modified the protein sequences, so we have not produced new proteins that are not found in nature. If the protein sequence is modified, it can produce a non-existent nature. "The new protein." "We must first emphasize again that we have not developed new proteins. We can only answer questions about whether GM rice is harmful. The safety testing standards for GM rice and third-party agencies are all designated by the Ministry of Agriculture. The safety of rice is determined mainly by tests in mice and rats.... The person in charge of the testing agency introduced that the safety of foods and medicines in general requires only acute toxicity tests in mice. Only baby foods need to be administered to rats for 90 days. Feeding tests: The testing standards for food safety of genetically modified plants are actually carried out in accordance with the standards for baby food and are the most stringent testing standards.... It is generally accepted that toxicity testing under acute high-dose conditions can be used to determine the presence of long-term chronicity. Toxic."
Monsanto, a genetically modified giant, refused to give a positive interview with reporters a week later. He claimed that his official website information can be used as a reference for reporters. Its official website elaborates on this issue as follows: "And when a new protein (usually not present in that kind of plant or ordinary food) is introduced into a plant, it really needs to detect the safety of this protein. ... The animal test is to use high-dose substances for testing. This dose will be many times higher than the actual dose that the human body will ingest... At present, we have not found a practical and practical method to test foods through human tests."
Taking into consideration the opinions of all “professional†teams, the reporter found that they believe that the possibility of harmful GM foods is not completely eliminated. However, if the “general†harms can be detected through previous animal experiments, etc. Ayun said: "If you have to ask, the test shows harmless, but after tens or even hundreds of years it shows that it is harmful to the human body. This possibility exists. I can only say that this possibility exists, but This possibility is very small."
Zeng Weirong, a well-known nutritionist in Shenzhen, told reporters that the cooking oil made from genetically modified soybeans does not contain protein, but its possibility of containing “unknown harmful free radicals†does exist. However, the use of genetically engineered corn or other feeds by pig-breeding companies, corn's "protein" can not directly enter the body, the possibility of pork containing "unknown harmful free radicals" also exists. The human body has no resistance to strange harmful substances and is more easily absorbed.
Debates between the parties
Is genetically modified food harmful to humans? Various arguments have never ceased. Opponents cited "Ilmarkova experiment", "Puztek experiment" and so on. The proponents pointed out that these tests have serious flaws and are not accepted by the mainstream scientific community.
Most of the GM-supporting GMs have profound research on the GM technology itself. Representatives are Fang Fangzi and Huazhong Agricultural University's genetically modified team. They often oppose the GM's unprofessionalism.
2
Behind the genetically modified "insect resistance"
There are patent traps?
In addition to the question of safety, there are two questions about the suspicion of genetic modification. The first is that the "insect-resistant" effect of genetic modification is short-lived; the second is about "food sovereignty." These two kinds of queries are entangled with each other. The internal logic is as follows: When genetically modified crops encounter climate change and secondary insect pests, they need new transgenic crops. Monsanto and other foreign companies have already made patent reserves. When the growers arrive, they will be forced to use the seeds of these large companies. Falling into a bottomless patent trap.
Some skeptics believe that the number of genetically modified crops developed in China may involve patents from foreign giants such as Monsanto.
In an interview, the reporter learned that some old cotton areas in Jiangxi Province began planting “insect-resistant cotton†a few years ago. In the first year, they did not use pesticides. From the second year on, although the cotton-age insects were gone, Starscream and others started A large number of people appeared. From the third year on, the number of pesticides used by farmers was “no difference†from the previous one. The price of “insect-resistant cotton†seeds is higher than that of ordinary seeds. Farmers want to “turn their heads†to grow ordinary cotton, but they cannot buy the seeds of ordinary cotton. Other media reports show that similar problems have occurred in several provinces.
The important products of Shenzhen Genesis Genetics Inc. also include insect-resistant cotton. Ayun said that farmers using the company's seeds are indeed using more and more pesticides, but the total usage is still far less than ordinary cotton.
Huazhong Agricultural University stated, “If we need new genetically modified crops to deal with secondary pests, we need to see how these secondary pests evolve after application of genetically modified crops and whether they become major pests. At present, we must first resolve the major pests in production. Considering secondary pests, Zhang Qifa, an academician of our school, has been promoting that genetically modified crops are the commanding heights in the field of biotechnology that both domestic and foreign countries are seizing. What worries us is that our country has lost its opportunity in this wave of global biotechnology development.â€
Regarding whether the existing patent involves the issue of Monsanto's patent, Huazhong Agricultural University did not respond positively and stated that “whether or not an invention can be patented in China, the precondition is that it must be applied for and authorized in our country. At present, we have not received any Companies or individuals reflect that our research results relate to their patents."
Ayun said that, as far as she knows, the BT gene of Huazhong Agricultural University was developed by itself, and its promoters and terminators may be related to Monsanto's expired patent.
Regarding the issue of patent rights, Fang Zhouzi said, "In fact, the most widely cultivated insect-resistant cottons for genetically modified (GM) crops are now domestically produced. In this respect, domestically produced varieties have defeated the earliest varieties introduced by Monsanto.... Transgenic crops that have been grown in large quantities abroad, such as genetically modified corn and soybeans, should also be considered for open cultivation. Instead of importing genetically modified soybean raw materials from abroad, it is better to grow genetically modified soybeans.... We use computers, mobile phones, and automobiles, and many of our patents are overseas. Why are you not afraid of being controlled abroad?"
So what happens if you open up the seeds of Monsanto and so forth into China? Ayun blurts out, "The Chinese seed industry will suffer a catastrophe."
3
Genetically modified crops
Let farmers lose their choice?
One of the biggest concerns for GM questioners is that GM crops will deprive farmers of the right to choose traditional crops.
Cotton has confirmed this concern... Traditional seeds have disappeared in some areas. There is also the issue of "string powder", in which paddy rice fields with genetically modified rice are drifting, and the rice produced will also contain genetically modified components. However, it is very difficult for the farmland surrounding a specific herbicide-resistant GM crop to be affected by herbicides.
Huazhong Agricultural University said in an interview that “transgenic rice pollen may be transmitted to other non-genetically-cultivated rice or wild rice... The isolation distance is 100 meters or more and rice pollen is unlikely to drift.â€
Fang replied: "The herbicide is scattered on the farmland instead of being scattered everywhere and will not have a big impact on the surrounding environment. The herbicide used to plant genetically modified crops is a low-toxic, mild glyphosate, If we do not use it, we must use other more toxic herbicides, or weeding and weeding, will have greater damage to the environment."
Yuan Songsong, a Xingzi peasant in Jiangxi Province, gave up his work in Shenzhen’s public security department and returned to his hometown to establish Jiangxi Jiulong Grain Cooperative. He was invited to give a speech on the issue of agricultural human resources at the Fourth China Agricultural Economics Development Forum gathered by experts. He told reporters that more than 80% of the fields in the local countryside are “small pieces of staggered†and “stringsâ€. "Powder" often does not stop, and herbicides will certainly affect neighbors. Yuan Songsong believes that the US farm is large and the land is flat. Planting genetically modified crops can reduce manual labor and save costs. Not applicable in China.
Seven years after Brazil opened its GM crop, the area of ​​GM soya beans planted last year exceeded 3/4 of the total soybean planting area. Genetically modified corn exceeds half of the total area of ​​corn. The seeds are basically from Monsanto. Author: Chen Shao Peng