So far, there is not enough evidence and research to prove that genetically modified foods are harmful to human health, and consumers can be cautious about accepting such “genetically modified†foods.
Reader questions
“I bought a barrel of 5 liters of soybean oil two days before my house. When I look closely at the processed ingredients, I write a genetically modified soybean. Can this soybean oil be eaten in the end?†On the 24th, Ms. Fan, who lives in the chess community, was puzzled. The reporters saw from the major shopping malls and supermarkets in the provincial capital that the vast majority of soybean oil raw materials sold on the market are "genetically modified soybeans." According to readers' calls, this reporter went deep into the market to investigate the status of soybean oil.
genetically modified food
Transgenic refers to the extraction of a certain gene in an organism by biotechnology and then implanted in another organism. For example, scientists believe that a certain gene in the Arctic fish has antifreeze effect, so it is extracted and replanted in tomato to create a new breed of hardy tomato. Foods made with this as raw material are called GM foods.
At present, the state requires the labeling of five types of 17 foods or products for genetically modified organisms. This means: 1. Soybean seeds, soybeans, soybean meal, soybean oil, and soybean meal; 2. Maize seeds, corn, corn oil, and corn meal Third, rapeseed seeds, rapeseed, rapeseed oil, rapeseed meal; four, cotton seeds; five, tomato seeds, fresh tomatoes, tomato sauce.
market survey
Market is difficult to "non-genetically modified" soybean oil
On the morning of the 24th, the reporter saw soybean oil counters in big supermarkets in provincial capitals like RT-Mart, Carrefour, and Wal-Mart. The soybean oils that are being sold include various brands such as Jinlongyu, Fulinmen, and food lovers. The price is comparable to peanut oil of the same capacity. It's about half cheaper. The reporter carefully read the label of the product and found that 100% soybean oil will find traces of "genetically modified soybeans" in the processed raw materials.
As for what is meant by "genetically modified soybeans," even the promoters in supermarkets have different opinions. A promoter of the RT-Mart supermarket told the reporter: “Transgenics is a process of soybean oil processing, which is to purify the soy oil that has been squeezed out of soybeans.†And pointing to the side of the Golden Dragon fish soybean oil, said: “You see this genetically modified large Soybean oil is more transparent in color, next to this kind of Fook Lin Mun soybean oil is not genetically modified soybeans, so it looks more turbid." The reporter looked closely, Fook Lam Men's raw material is also marked with genetically modified soybeans.
The reporter got through the 800 service hotline of the Fulinmen brand and learned that this kind of “genetically modified soybean†is mostly soybean imported from abroad, and there is no difference between it and ordinary soybean.
Manufacturer explanation
Transgenic oil marked "shame"
In major supermarkets, reporters found that genetically modified oils and non-genetically modified oils are mixed. At Carrefour supermarkets, there are more than 20 varieties of edible oils, occupying a full row of shelves.
The reporter noticed that according to the relevant regulations of the country, all the oils produced by genetically modified raw materials were marked with the words “processing raw materials are transgenic ××â€. However, it will be difficult to find if you do not look closely. Because the relevant labels are mostly written in the middle of the product description, the font size, size, color, etc. are almost the same as other explanatory scripts and can easily be ignored.
Unlike the “shampoo†labelled “transgenicâ€, the description of “non-transgenic†is for fear that consumers can't see it. For instance, Lu Hua Peanut Oil on the promotion desk has a “100% non-genetically modified†tag on the bottleneck. It has a diameter of more than ten centimeters. At the same time, the price of non-GM oil is significantly higher than that of genetically modified oil.
As for why the manufacturers have a soft spot for “genetically modified soybeans,†an industry source who asked not to be named told reporters that 100% of imported soybeans are now genetically modified soybeans, and the oil output rate is between 20% and 21%. The oil output rate is only 17%, but the price is more expensive than the import, so most manufacturers are reluctant to increase costs and produce "non-genetically modified" products.
Expert commentary
GM food safety is uncertain
Since the vast majority of processed soybean oil is labeled with genetically modified soybeans, is it safe to use genetically modified foods? If not, what are the unsafe factors?
Zhang Juren, a professor of life sciences at Shandong University and a doctoral supervisor specializing in plant genetics research, told reporters that some scientists believe that genetically modified crops may cause damage to local insects, affect the growth of surrounding plants, and increase the resistance of insects or germs during evolution. Or produce new species. However, these so-called shortcomings are now hypothetical. "For a simple example, the United States has been developing the first transgenic plants for more than two decades now. Their area of ​​genetically modified foods is very large, and many People are eating, but so far no one has been found to be sick or dead because of eating genetically modified foods. In other words, at least the genetically modified crops that are currently being researched are still safe."
Xu Wei, director of the Soybean Research Office of the Crop Research Institute of Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, said that so far, there is not enough evidence and research to prove that GM foods are harmful to human health, and consumers can be cautious about accepting such “genetically modified†foods.