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Transgenic crops are organisms with new traits that have been bred through biotechnology by separating a gene (or genes) from an organism and later implanting it in another organism. For example, Bt transgenic rice refers to the transfer of insect-resistant genes from a certain bacterium in the soil into rice, giving it the trait of insect resistance. Until now, the long-term safety of genetically modified food for human health has been inconclusive.
GMOs have foreign genes and are completely new to the natural ecosystem. If released into the environment, they will change the competitive relationship between species, disrupt the original natural ecological balance, and lead to species extinction and loss of biodiversity. Genetically modified organisms will reproduce themselves in nature and hybridize with their closely related varieties, thus allowing foreign genes to spread in nature in an uncontrollable manner, causing irreversible genetic pollution.
What is genetically modified?
Genetically modified crops are organisms that have been bred to have new traits through the use of biotechnology, in which a gene (or genes) is isolated from one organism and then implanted into another organism. For example, scientists believe that a gene in the body of the Arctic fish has an antifreeze effect, so they extracted it and implanted it into tomatoes to create new varieties of cold-resistant tomatoes, which are genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Foods that contain GMOs are called genetically modified foods.
What are the effects of genetic modification on the environment and human beings?
Due to the unintended benefits of genetic modification technology, some unforeseen impacts on the environment and food safety may be manifested. If released into the natural environment without long-term and adequate safety assessment, it is likely to upset the original ecological balance. In addition, GMOs will spread foreign genes in nature through self-propagation and cross-breeding with inbred varieties, resulting in irreversible genetic contamination.
Genetically modified (GM) technology has been used to insert foreign genes into everyday food, such as soybeans, corn and even rice, but there is a lack of long-term biosafety assessment of GM food, and the scientific community has no *** knowledge of whether it is safe for long-term human consumption.
In the process of genetic modification, antibiotic resistance genes are often transferred into recipients to be used as marker genes, and the use of antibiotic resistance genes as markers has been controversial. Antibiotic resistance can lead to the failure of antibiotic use in human or animal medicines, and has been an important issue affecting global public health. At the same time, infants and young children are particularly sensitive to food, as they usually have a relatively homogenous range of foods and must eat certain foods for long periods of time. The Royal Society of the United Kingdom has classified infants as a "high-risk group" in terms of food safety, and issued a report in 2002 stating that genetically modified (GM) ingredients in infant food "should be subject to the most rigorous scrutiny". The British Medical Association reiterated this view in a 2004 report, stating that "any food that will be consumed in large quantities by infants and other 'vulnerable populations' should be subject to the most rigorous approval process. process."
What international legislation regulates GMOs?
As early as January 29, 2000, the Biosafety Protocol was adopted in Montreal, Canada, which stipulates that countries can control the transport, handling, and use of GMOs across their borders, as long as they are not conducive to the conservation of biodiversity and sustainable use, including endangering human health.
Besides China, countries/regions such as the European Union, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand have also enacted mandatory labeling laws for genetically modified food. This legislation protects consumers' right to know and facilitates them to avoid purchasing GM food. However, Hong Kong has not yet made the relevant legislation mandatory.
While scientific research has yet to fully understand the environmental and health impacts of GMOs, Greenpeace calls for a halt to the release of GMOs into the environment. In turn, the government should immediately suspend the commercialization of GM rice and tighten regulations to prevent GM crops from contaminating traditional non-GM crops.
Countries/regions that have implemented mandatory labeling of genetically modified food
Africa: South Africa Cameroon Mali Mauritius
Asia: China Japan Taiwan India Indonesia South Korea Thailand Vietnam Philippines Saudi Arabia
Europe: EU27 Switzerland Norway Yugoslavia Bulgaria Croatia Russia
North America: Mexico Costa Rica
Oceania: Australia New Zealand
South America: Brazil Chile Ecuador
* As of June 2006, 54 countries*** have implemented mandatory labeling of genetically modified food.
Scientific research on the environmental and health impacts of genetically modified crops and foods
In May 2010, researchers from the Institute of Plant Protection of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), after more than 10 years of field tracking trials, found that blind stinkbugs in genetically modified cotton fields have been increasing in number and have become another major pest of cotton in addition to the bollworm. The findings were published in the journal Science.
In November 2008, scientists at Italy's National Institute of Food and Nutrition found that consumption of genetically modified corn affected the immune systems of mice. The findings were published in the journal Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
In October 2007, environmental scientists at Indiana University in the United States found that large-scale planting of various types of genetically modified corn may have an impact on aquatic ecosystems. The findings were published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
In November 2005, a study by Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) showed that an experiment lasting four weeks showed that mice fed genetically modified peas developed inflammation in their lungs, and that the mice suffered an allergic reaction and became more sensitive to other allergens. The findings were published in the journal Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
List of GM crops and food contamination incidents
In 2010, Greenpeace's Beijing office found illegal GM rice seeds, rice and rice products circulating in markets in Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Fujian and Guangdong.
In 2009, the Greenpeace Beijing office found illegal cultivation of genetically modified papaya in Hainan Province.
In 2008, oilseed rape fields in Belgium were contaminated with GM crops.
In 2006, Bayer's unapproved genetically modified rice was found in 32 countries around the world (including China), with estimated global economic losses from the contamination ranging from US$7-1.2 billion (about RMB 5.5-9.5 billion).
In 2006, Greenpeace found illegal genetically modified rice in supermarkets in Guangzhou; the same genetically modified ingredient was found in Heinz baby food sold to Beijing, Guangzhou and Hong Kong.
The GM rice ingredient was also found in rice products exported from China to France, Britain, Germany and other European countries between September 2006 and 2008.
In 2005, Greenpeace discovered that illegal GM insect-resistant rice was being grown on a large scale in Hubei.
In 2001, Nature published an article reporting that local varieties in Mexico were contaminated with genetically modified corn.
In 2003, contamination was found in a number of Mexican states including, and there was even evidence of some local varieties contaminated with more than four types of GM maize.
In 2000, a genetically modified corn called Starlink was found in human food and was only approved for animal feed because it could cause allergies. Companies paid about $1 billion to recall more than 300 food products on the market that may have contained StarLink corn.