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National & World Ag News Headlines |
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Chinese Conducting Poll on Consumers' Acceptance of GMOs
USAgNet - 05/24/2017
China will carry out a nationwide poll next month to test the public's acceptance of genetically-modified food, a technology the government says would boost yields and sustainable agriculture in a country that's seen consumption soar.
Beijing's prestigious Tsinghua University and two other Chinese colleges will carry out the survey, said Jin Jianbin, a professor at Tsinghua's School of Journalism and Communication. The poll, sponsored by the government, will be carried out in tandem with a
campaign on social media to broadcast basic knowledge on GMO technology, which is widely misunderstood in the country, Jin said.
Bloomberg News reports that China is the world's fourth-largest grower of GMO cotton and the top importer of soybeans, most of which are genetically modified and used for cooking oil and animal feed for pigs and chickens. But public concern over food
safety issues and skepticism about the effects of consuming GMO foods have made the government reluctant to introduce the technology for staple crops.
A 2012 trial of so-called Golden Rice -- a yellow GMO variant of the grain that produces beta-carotene -- caused a public storm after reports that the rice was fed to children without the parents being aware that it was genetically modified.
The national survey aims to discover what the public's concerns are so that the government can resolve the confusion, Jin said.
"If the government pushes ahead before the public is ready to accept the technology, it would be embarrassing -- like offering a pot of half-cooked rice to eat."
Producers of GMO crops claim they offer improved yields, enhanced nutritional value and resistance to drought, frost and insects. Critics have raised concerns over safety and potential adverse ecological effects. Last year, the U.S., the world's largest producer
of GMO crops, mandated that food makers label products with modified ingredients. EU lawmakers this month objected to imports of herbicide-resistant strains of corn and cotton.
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