On July 9th, FAO and WHO's International Food Standardization Committee jointly announced that they had adopted a regulation on how to evaluate foods produced by biotechnology, including an epoch-making agreement on the risks of genetically modified foods, and adopted more than 50 new food safety and quality standards.
On July 22nd, the European Union passed the new regulations on genetically modified products, and the European market, which has been banned for five years, will once again open its doors for genetically modified products.
On August 6th, USDA issued new regulations to strengthen the management of genetically modified crops used for industrial purposes such as papermaking and detergent manufacturing. According to the new regulations, enterprises must apply and obtain government approval before they can carry out experimental planting of industrial genetically modified crops.
/kloc-genetically modified food that was far away from people 0/0 years ago has quietly entered our kitchen and put it on our dining table today.
Genetically modified food refers to the use of genetic engineering technology to artificially implant the genes of one microorganism, animal or plant into another microorganism, animal or plant to make it have new quality.
This is a new type of food, which is very different from the traditional food we have eaten for thousands of years. It can make our dining table colorful and arbitrary from now on.
Genetically modified food is the result created by human beings relying on their own wisdom. However, the impact of this new food on human beings and nature is still unknown. Perhaps because of this, human beings have doubts, fears and puzzles about it. Humans dare not say now, what it can bring us-is it a blessing or a curse?
The Nestle incident, which made a lot of noise in the first half of this year, brought the safety of genetically modified food to us for the first time, and let us suddenly realize that genetically modified food has come!
For consumers, the most concerned issue is probably the safety of genetically modified food.
Tests have proved that six products of Nestle contain unknown genes. Not only that, it is said that genetically modified ingredients have been detected in Pinke onion-flavored potato chips, Nissin chicken-flavored instant noodles, McDonald's burgers, KFC fries and even Coca-Cola, Pepsi-Cola and 7-up soda.
The Nestle incident was triggered by a report in Greenpeace.
China (Hongkong) Greenpeace is an independent international environmental protection organization, and its activities are funded entirely by private donations. According to the test report provided by the organization, Nestle, one of the largest food sellers in the world, was found to contain unknown genes in six kinds of food it produced, including even a baby food. These six products are: Nestle Crispy Chocolate, Baifu Soymilk, Baifu High Calcium Soymilk, Baifu Tofu Flower, Impatiens and Nestle Baby Pure Rice Noodle (apple flavor).
Nestle, which promised users in European and American markets not to use genetically modified raw materials, was once angrily accused by consumers of using children in China and Asia as "experimental mice" for its genetically modified food, and was considered to have unfairly implemented double production standards.
It's not just Nestle.
The organization sent a questionnaire to 238 products of nearly 80 world-famous food companies, asking them to know whether to use genetically modified raw materials. According to the feedback from the questionnaire, Greenpeace printed the survey results into a booklet entitled How to Avoid Genetically Modified Foods. For those food suppliers who refuse to make a promise of "no use of genetically modified materials", the brochures are displayed with red labels to warn consumers that these products are likely to contain genetically modified ingredients. This booklet is called "Red Alert" by the public.
The products listed in the "Red Alert" are 1 12, almost all of which are world-famous brands, such as Nestle, Lotte Ice Cream, Want Want Potato Chips, Pinke Potato Chips, American Fresh Soy Sauce, Top Good Condiment, Asahi Beer, Maxwell Coffee, Sunkist Orange Juice and so on.
More than 654.38 million copies of this booklet were distributed free of charge in Hong Kong.
Although products in Europe have been detected to contain genetically modified ingredients, manufacturers such as Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola have made it clear that they can guarantee that products produced in Asia will not use genetically modified materials. In contrast, Nestle's attitude is not so simple. They first promised to gradually reduce the use of genetically modified raw materials, and then reneged and issued a statement saying, "Nestle recognizes the potential of genetic technology in improving food quality, availability and nutritional value in the long run. Nestle supports the responsible application of genetic technology to food production on the basis of good scientific research. " In other words, Nestle believes that even if genetically modified raw materials are used in products, they must meet the standards of China, so the products should be safe.
The benefits of genetically modified crops are self-evident, and its future market is immeasurable. Because of this, countries are scrambling to invest a lot of financial resources, step up transgenic research, and try to get ahead in this huge future market.
Scientists predict that this century will be the century of genetic modification. Genetically modified crops are too tempting for human beings.
First of all, after the rapid growth gene is implanted into traditional crops, the characteristics of crops have been improved, which can not only shorten the growth period, but also increase crop yield, so that the land can be fully utilized to the maximum extent, and human beings can bid farewell to the history of food shortage.
Secondly, through transgenic, traditional crops have the ability to resist pests and diseases, so the use of pesticides and insecticides can be greatly reduced.
Thirdly, implanting different gene fragments can completely change the appearance, taste, taste and even nutritional components of food, which will make human food enter a new era of free will.
Fourth, crops will bid farewell to the history of planting by the sky. By improving genes, human beings can make crops have different characteristics of cold tolerance, heat tolerance, drought tolerance or waterlogging tolerance, thus adapting to different growth environments.
Fifthly, if a therapeutic gene is implanted in a certain food, maybe after a few years, people can prevent or treat diseases by eating this food, and they don't have to worry about the side effects of this food on the human body, because the factors that produce side effects have been completely eliminated.
There have been two famous experiments about whether genetically modified food is safe for human body. However, these two experiments were rejected as soon as they were published. Therefore, the debate on the safety of genetically modified foods has fallen into a strange circle that can neither be proved nor falsified.
At present, there are two important experiments that scientists put forward that "genetically modified food may cause harm to human body".
1In the autumn of 998, arpad Puztai, a biologist at the lovett Institute in Aberdeen, England, announced his experimental results in a TV program that he was invited to participate in. By observing the mice raised with genetically modified potatoes, he found that the internal organs of the experimental mice grew abnormally, their weight dropped and their immune systems were destroyed.
This result caused a shock all over the world.
But not long after, the Royal Society, which was in charge of reviewing the experiment, announced that there were six obvious defects in the experiment: it was impossible to determine the chemical composition difference between genetically modified and non-genetically modified potatoes; Rats participating in the experiment did not add protein; Because the food fed is not the standard food for mice, it lacks statistical significance; The experimental design is poor, and no double-blind determination is made; Improper statistical methods; Inconsistent test results, etc.
This experiment was basically rejected.
In 2002, researchers in Newcastle, England, announced again that dna fragments in genetically modified foods can enter bacteria in human intestines, which seems to prove that intestinal flora will be resistant to antibiotics.
Therefore, the British Food Standards Association commissioned harry gilbert and other scholars to conduct the first human experiment on the safety of genetically modified foods. They gave 12 healthy volunteers and 7 volunteers with partial colectomy hamburgers and ice milk containing genetically modified soybeans.
The results showed that no transgenic soybean was found in the feces of healthy people, but 3.7% transgenic soybean residual genes were found in the feces of people who underwent colon resection. The results showed that a very small amount of bacteria did ingest genetically modified soybeans.
However, whether intentionally or unintentionally, the researchers ignored this data. They think this experiment can't prove that this transgenic transfer has side effects on human body.
In addition, the German University of Jena, technical university of munich, the University of Brunswick and the Federal Institute of Meat also conducted a study called "Gene Transfer through Food Chain". The researchers fed the experimental animals with granular feed made of genetically modified corn and found that there were genetic dna fragments of corn in the muscles and organs of these animals.
Out of self-confidence in their own research results, the current research on the safety of genetically modified food has fallen into a strange circle: no one can prove whether it is safe or not.
Scientists can't provide conclusive evidence about whether genetically modified crops are potentially harmful, but their concerns are by no means groundless. Humans have no experience in trying to change the structure of biological chain, so no matter how careful they are.
In the past century, traditional hybridization technology has been the main method for human beings to produce high-yield and high-quality grain, vegetables, fruits and eggs. Although hybridization is also a simple gene replacement, they are only carried out between closely related species, so the safety is relatively high.
Different from traditional hybridization, the genes used by transgenic technology to modify food usually come from completely unrelated species, many of which are rarely eaten by human beings, such as scorpions, moths, bacteria, viruses, mice and so on. The common practice is to implant scorpion gene into corn to make corn produce toxins to resist pests; Or we can implant human genes into fish, so that fish can provide a protein closer to humans.
Changes in the genetic traits of these crops will probably affect the composition of protein in human cells, change the concentration of protein or produce new metabolites, which may eventually produce toxic substances or new allergens in human bodies, leading to fatal diseases. Some scientists even suspect that these transgenes will drift into the human body, causing unimaginable consequences.
In addition, the impact of genetically modified crops on nature is still unknown. Experience and lessons show that any alien species entering a new environment may cause ecological disasters in the local area. For example, North America once introduced a black cherry tree from Germany, which later led to the extinction of the local rare tree species; The introduction of Nile perch into Lake Victoria in Africa has also greatly reduced the number of local fish.
The commercialization of transgenic crops took less than 10 years. However, the impact of genetically modified organisms on the environment and human health may take 20 years, 50 years or even 100 years to be discovered.
Once genetically modified crops enter the natural biological chain, their artificial characteristics and defects will be passed down endlessly and will never be controlled and recovered. This destruction of nature is irreversible.
When scientists can't give the public an accurate answer, then the labeling system of genetically modified food is imperative. Because, since the public spends money on food, they have the right to know and decide what to buy for themselves.
According to a recent public opinion survey, even in the United States, where genetically modified foods are popular, most people strongly demand a labeling system for genetically modified foods in order to give consumers the right to know and choose.
In Britain, the local government association has also decided that in the next five years, all primary and secondary schools, hospitals, nursing homes and other units in Britain and Wales are not allowed to use all genetically modified foods.
In fact, transgenic technology was introduced to the market by commercial interests when it was not fully mature.
According to the analysis of relevant experts, genetically modified products account for about 35% of American agricultural and food exports, and the export value is about $654.38+02 billion. If livestock fed with genetically modified products are added, the export volume will at least double. Last year alone, China imported more than150,000 tons of genetically modified soybeans. For the producers of genetically modified crops in the United States, they really hold a chicken that lays golden eggs.
At present, genetically modified crops in China market are mainly imported, mainly concentrated in products such as soybeans, rape and corn. A large number of imported soybeans are processed into edible oil, tofu and soybean milk.
In other words, in recent years, most of the soy products we eat are genetically modified products.
Since science can't give us a conclusion, whether genetically modified food is safe or not, then the compulsory labeling system is necessary. Because this is the minimum respect for consumers-they have the right to know and they also have the right to choose. They should decide whether to eat or not, and no one can deprive them of this right.
Responsible scientists have given such suggestions: so far, genetically modified food is safe, and there is no evidence that it will bring harm to human beings; However, the infirm, the elderly and children had better not eat this food.
Therefore, manufacturers should also take their own responsibilities-please clearly mark your products!