When I read the article “Why the Spaniards are not afraid of genetically modified foods†written by Mr. Holz de Saha, I was taken aback because in my mind, the European Union has always been a pioneer in the fight against genetically modified foods. The British even went so far as to A new word for GM food is called "frankensteinfood", which means "devil food." I remember not long ago there was a reporter from a well-known Spanish television station in Beijing talking to me about genetically modified foods. When I asked him about his attitude toward genetically modified foods, such as “Dare to eat GM foods, drink genetically modified milk,†he told me that he did not Dare, most Spaniards do not dare.
In fact, Europe’s true view of genetic modification depends on large-scale polls. The Eurobarometer is the most representative of European polls. The poll conducted in 2010 showed that European people are more opposed to genetically modified foods than in the past. In 2007, 58% of the people opposed to genetically modified foods rose to 61% in 2010. Opponents showed an upward trend. From 1995 to 2010, European people's support for genetically modified foods has been on a downward trend, and currently only less than 5% of genetically modified foods are strongly supported. In many countries, people’s support for genetically modified foods has shown a sharp downward trend. The most obvious is Spain. It used to be a relatively European country that supports GM foods relatively more, and it has also commercialized GM maize (these corns are only for feed, Not for human consumption, but in the last five years, the support of the people in Spain for genetically modified foods has been on a downward trend, and the current supporters are still less than 20%. Therefore, the argument that “Spain is not afraid of genetically modified foods†can only be Mr. Saha’s personal opinion. It does not represent the Spanish public, nor does it represent the true public opinion of Europe for genetic modification.
European polls show that Europeans believe that 59% of GM foods are insecure, 58% believe that it will also bring insecurity to the next generation, and 57% of them believe that although they are not good, they are at risk. There are less than 30% of them. One believes that GM foods are good for the economy, and 84% of the surveyed people are alert to genetic modification. Another interesting finding of the European polls is that people do not understand GM technology, and those who believe that as long as they publicize GM foods for popular food can win popular support, they are actually wrong. The European people clearly know the difference between biotechnology and genetically modified foods. They actually have no objection to the biotech revolution that can bring new drugs in the future, but they oppose GM foods.
At present, the countries with the most careful attitude towards genetically modified foods in the world belong to the European Union. Even if the United States has sent the EU to the dock for many times at the WTO, it will not be moved. When the United States vigorously promoted genetic technology in the world for commercial interests, the European Union has always been an opponent. At present, the EU is also one of the continents with the least GM varieties, the least cultivation, and the most rigorous regulations on all continents. There is only a small amount of genetically modified corn and potatoes used as feed. Even in the United States, there are not many genetically modified foods that are directly available for human consumption. A large amount of genetically modified corn is actually used as feed and fuel ethanol. The genetically modified soybeans grown in the country are not suitable for human consumption due to their genetically modified protein BT protein. With genetically modified ingredients, humans do not eat transgenic cotton.
In Europe, strict label management of genetically modified foods requires that foods containing genetically modified ingredients must be clearly labeled with genetically modified ingredients so that consumers can identify them. Some people think that China can adopt the genetically modified labeling method, but I think it is difficult to do it in China. The main reason is that such a system not only requires a high degree of business integrity, but also requires strict supervision of the regulatory authorities. However, there are too many companies who do not follow the rules in China, and the regulatory authorities basically do not.
At present, China’s most unreconciling issue is the ability to regulate genetically modified crops. Take GM rice as an example. Although authorities have repeatedly claimed that China has not approved commercialized rice cultivation, many survey agencies are able to easily purchase them in supermarkets. Rice with genetically modified ingredients. What is even more strange is that such cases have been found for many times and lasted for many years without any penalty. The illicit cultivation of genetically modified rice has always existed. There is no clear-cut answer as to whether or not to control, reluctant to control or control. Not long ago, it was revealed that the approved corn varieties were quietly recovered by the competent authorities because they contained genetically modified components. All these shows that GM management has a long way to go in China.
Considering food security, GM rice is actually the worst option. Because the current GM technology is simply not likely to directly increase the yield of rice, only the indirect yield increase caused by the insect resistance effect is less than 10%. If the price of rice in our country can increase a little, the effect of the increase in the output of large numbers of abandoned arable land or rice that can be changed in the second season but only in one season is much greater than that of the unsafe transgenic technology.
Therefore, we must be careful about genetically modified foods in China. We must also strictly and meticulously approve genetically modified varieties. In particular, staple grain varieties cannot be approved. Because the crops that everyone eats have a big impact once they find out. However, genetically modified organisms should be developed vigorously and can be used in non-edible products such as pharmaceuticals.
Longquan Hongda Copper And Aluminum Casting Co., Ltd. , http://www.qd-diecasting.com