Now when people visit supermarkets, they will find that many food products have been labeled with "non-genetically modified foods," and there will be more doubts about the use of genetically modified edible oils and genetically modified foods. What is genetically modified food? Is GM food safe for people? With such questions, the reporter recently visited Dr. Ji Donghong, a genetically-modified breeder at the Northwest A&F University.
“Genetically modified foods (GM foods) are some of the foods made from genetically modified crops. Through biotechnology, scientists can separate genes that have a certain effect from organisms and then implant them in another organism. Compared with traditional crops for thousands of years, the emergence of genetically modified crops has been only more than 20 years ago.There are some doubts in the community about such a new thing, which is completely understandable.As long as people have sufficient understanding of genetically modified crops, they are not hard to find. This conclusion: GM foods can be safely eaten!"
According to Dr. Kwong, compared with traditional genetic breeding techniques, transgenic technology can select genes according to human needs and transfer them to new plants, thus speeding up the progress of breeding and improving breeding efficiency. The output of many genetically modified products is higher than that of traditional products under the same production conditions; the stress resistance is increased, the adaptation range of crops is expanded, and the production is conducive to development; the quality of many genetically modified products is greatly improved, and the products are rich in nutrients for storage and processing. . With the increase in land use and resources, and the relative lack of resources, the emergence of genetically modified technology has found new ways for people to develop agricultural production. Due to the high yield of genetically-modified foods and the low pests and diseases, the commercialization of its crops has brought tremendous economic benefits and significant social and ecological benefits to farmers in both developed and developing countries. Currently, the United States, Argentina, Canada, and Australia It is the country that has the largest number of GM crops in the world. Therefore, they vigorously promote the safety and reliability of genetically modified crops and strive to maintain consumer confidence in genetically modified crops. In order to protect the interests of its own farmers, the EU, Japan, and third world countries insist on using trade safety issues to set up trade barriers and restrict the impact of genetically modified agricultural products from the United States and other countries on their domestic markets. The debate over the safety of genetically modified crops reflects the trade confrontation between exporting and importing countries of agricultural products that have extensively applied genetically modified technologies.
In foreign countries, hundreds of millions of people have eaten GM soybean oil for nearly 10 years since it was approved in the mid-1990s. As early as 10 years ago, our country promulgated the "Regulations on the Administration of Agricultural Genetically Modified Organisms", which has strict requirements and regulations on the research, development, production, processing, sales, and import and export of genetically modified technology. The purpose is to Standardize scientific research to protect the health and safety of the people.