Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs: Genetically modified foods that can cause cancer and infertility are rumors

The person in charge of the Science and Technology Development Center of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and the National Agricultural Technology Extension Service Center answered the reporter's question on promoting the pilot project of biological breeding industrialization

This year, the No. 1 central document proposed to accelerate the industrialization of corn and soybean biological breeding, orderly expand the scope of pilot projects, and standardize planting management. How is the progress of this work as we are currently halfway through? Recently, the reporter interviewed the responsible persons of the Science and Technology Development Center of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and the National Agricultural Technology Extension Service Center on relevant issues.

Q: Many people are concerned about the industrial application of genetically modified corn and soybeans, and some netizens ask why it is necessary to carry out genetically modified technology. What is the overall consideration and arrangement for this work, and how is the current progress?

Answer: Genetically modified organisms are indeed a concern for everyone, and there are even some controversies. We have also noticed that some people say that using regular seeds is not enough? In fact, biological breeding is a new stage of breeding development. Generally speaking, crop breeding has gone through natural selection, hybrid breeding, and biological breeding, and is highly likely to enter the era of intelligent breeding in the future. At present, biological breeding represented by gene transfer is a revolutionary technology in the breeding field and a new field and track that must be seized. It is not optional or usable.

Agricultural genetically modified technology has played an irreplaceable role in increasing crop yield, reducing losses from pests and diseases, reducing the use of chemical insecticides, and saving labor costs. Taking the United States, the world's largest producer and consumer of genetically modified crops, as an example, in 1995, when genetically modified crops were not yet commercialized, the average yield per mu of corn and soybeans was 475 kilograms and 158 kilograms, respectively. In 2022, the planting area of genetically modified corn and soybeans in the United States exceeded 90%, and the average yield per mu had reached 725 kilograms and 222 kilograms, respectively. The genetically modified technology has played a revolutionary role. The corn and soybeans grown and consumed in the United States are almost all genetically modified varieties.

China is not absent from the research and development of genetically modified technology. It has been deployed and continuously tracked in the 863 high-tech research launched in the 1980s and the 973 basic research launched in the 1990s. Especially since the launch of the national major project for cultivating new varieties of genetically modified organisms in 2008, we have made a series of significant progress in gene mining, genetic transformation, variety cultivation, safety evaluation and management. On the basis of fully evaluating the safety and effectiveness, a batch of genetically modified varieties have obtained safety certificates in accordance with the law. In 2021, the country launched a pilot project for the industrialization of genetically modified corn and soybeans, which was carried out in scientific research experimental fields. Expand to rural areas in Inner Mongolia and Yunnan in 2022. This year's pilot program has expanded to 20 counties in 5 provinces and regions, including Hebei, Inner Mongolia, Jilin, Sichuan, and Yunnan, and seed production has been arranged in Gansu. From the pilot perspective, genetically modified corn and soybean have shown outstanding resistance to pests and herbicides, with a control effect of over 90% on Lepidoptera pests such as armyworm and a weed control effect of over 95%; Genetically modified corn and soybeans can increase yield by 5.6% -11.6%.

While promoting the pilot program, relevant departments strictly supervise in accordance with laws and regulations such as the Seed Law, Food Safety Law, and Regulations on the Safety Management of Agricultural Genetically Modified Organisms, crack down on illegal activities in seed production, sales, planting, processing, and sales in accordance with the law, implement product labeling management systems, and ensure standardized and orderly industrial applications.

Q: Some people are concerned that most of the patents for genetically modified technology are from abroad. How can we ensure that our varieties are independently controllable and not subject to human control after entering industrial application in China?

Answer: There is no need to worry about this issue. After decades of accumulation, China's biological breeding research and development has a relatively solid foundation. The genetically modified varieties approved for pilot projects in accordance with the law now have China's independent intellectual property rights. Promoting industrial application is conducive to promoting independent innovation and enhancing competitiveness in China. China began to promote the industrial application of genetically modified insect resistant cotton in the 1990s, and continuously developed in competition with foreign insect resistant cotton varieties. Currently, the market share of domestically produced insect resistant cotton has reached 99%. The industry believes that if we continue to refuse to apply such revolutionary technologies, our agricultural technology level and industrial competitiveness will be difficult to truly improve, and only then will we continue to widen the gap with foreign countries and truly be "controlled" by others.

Q: What people are most concerned about is the safety of genetically modified products. For example, some people have doubts about "genetically modified crop insects will die if eaten, and people will be fine if eaten." There are also rumors that genetically modified foods can cause cancer, infertility, and affect offspring. Is genetically modified products safe?

Answer: Safety is the foundation and prerequisite for the industrialization of genetically modified varieties. Before the launch of genetically modified products, they must undergo scientific, comprehensive, and strict food safety and environmental safety evaluations. Approved genetically modified products are all safe. The safety evaluation of genetically modified organisms in China is the responsibility of the National Agricultural Genetically Modified Organisms Safety Committee, which is composed of authoritative experts recommended by various fields and departments from all over the country, including agriculture, science and technology, health, ecological environment, inspection and quarantine. Our country's safety evaluation follows international practices and is carried out in different stages according to national laws, regulations, standards, and specifications. If any problem that may affect health and environmental safety is found at any stage, research and development experiments will be immediately terminated and industrialization will not enter the stage.

Insect resistant crops are the world's earliest large-scale industrial application of genetically modified products. Scientists have transferred the "insect resistant protein" gene into crops, making them have insect resistant effects. In fact, insect resistant proteins are not new things, and the most widely used Bt protein as a biopesticide has been safely applied for over 80 years. The insecticidal effect of this Bt protein is highly specific and can only bind to specific receptors in the intestines of specific pests, causing intestinal perforation and death. The gastrointestinal cells of humans, livestock, and other insects do not have a specific receptor for this protein. After genetically modified foods enter the human body, they are digested and absorbed normally like other foods, so "insects will die if they eat them, and humans will be fine if they eat them.".

As for the rumors that genetically modified foods can cause cancer, infertility, and affect offspring, they are all rumors. Relevant departments and experts have repeatedly clarified the facts with a large amount of data from scientific experiments and production practices, but they still appear repeatedly on the Internet, misleading many people. Some of these rumors are hearsay, while others have ulterior motives.

There is no scientific evidence to prove that genetically modified foods are carcinogenic. The connection between genetically modified foods and cancer originated from a 2012 paper by French author Seralini. The relevant departments in France and the European Food Safety Agency have conducted a six-year study on this, costing over 100 million yuan. The results show that genetically modified corn has not caused any negative effects, nor has it been found to have chronic toxicity or carcinogenicity.

Genetically modified foods have nothing to do with infertility. The related rumor originated from a 2013 report that "years of consumption of genetically modified corn have led to a decrease in sperm vitality among male college students in Guangxi.". In fact, the claim of abnormal sperm in college students comes from the 2009 Guangxi Medical University First Affiliated Hospital's "Guangxi University Student Sexual Health Survey Report", which proposed that unhealthy habits such as environmental pollution, long-term internet use, and staying up late may lead to abnormal sperm in college students, and there is no word for genetically modified organisms.

Genetically modified foods will not affect offspring. Genetically modified foods do not accumulate in the human body, do not accumulate in the body with increasing intake, have no material basis for long-term effects, do not undergo intergenerational transmission, and do not alter our genes, affecting future generations. At present, a large number of multi generation feeding experiments on genetically modified products have been carried out using model animals such as mice, pigs, and broilers both domestically and internationally. Medical research institutions in our country have also conducted long-term feeding experiments on monkeys, which are closely related to humans, and have proven that they have no impact on their offspring. We have also noticed some viewpoints that suggest why animal feeding experiments are conducted instead of human experiments? It should be noted that using model animals for food safety testing is an internationally recognized practice. Since the development of science, a series of universally recognized experimental models, simulation experiments, and animal experiments have been developed, which can completely replace human experiments. In fact, there is no requirement to conduct experiments using humans in food safety evaluations in various countries, because even scientists cannot conduct experiments using a single food that allows people to eat it continuously for ten or twenty years without eating anything else, or even continue to do so for their descendants.

Q: Some people say that all genetically modified products from abroad have been exported to us. Does developed countries consume genetically modified food? Can consumers freely choose?

Answer: It is a false rumor that Europeans and Americans do not eat genetically modified organisms. The United States is a major country in the research and development of genetically modified technology, as well as the world's largest producer and consumer of genetically modified crops. Currently, the United States has approved the industrialization of 22 types of genetically modified crops. In recent years, about 1.1 billion acres of genetically modified crops are planted annually, accounting for more than 40% of its arable land area. Among them, the planting area of genetically modified varieties such as corn, soybeans, cotton, and sugar beets all exceeds 90%. About 50% of soybeans and over 80% of corn produced in the United States are consumed domestically rather than exported. The EU imports a large amount of genetically modified agricultural products every year, mainly soybeans, corn, rapeseed, sugar beets, and their processed products. According to statistics, in 2021, the EU imported approximately 15 million tons of genetically modified soybeans, accounting for about 90% of the total soybean imports, and over 3 million tons of genetically modified corn, accounting for about 30% of the total corn imports. Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan also import a large amount of genetically modified agricultural products such as soybeans, corn, and rapeseed. These pieces of information have been reported on media such as People's Daily and Farmers' Daily, and it is not difficult to find them.

Sometimes people may see news online about countries destroying or rejecting genetically modified products. This is because import and export countries and regions have licensing systems for products entering the local market. Unauthorized products may be destroyed or rejected, which is not limited to genetically modified products, nor does it indicate that genetically modified products produced in accordance with laws and regulations are unsafe.

Consumers have the right to know whether they are consuming genetically modified products. China implements a mandatory labeling system for genetically modified products, such as genetically modified soybean oil and rapeseed oil, which require the labeling of words such as "processing raw materials are genetically modified soybeans/rapeseed". It should be noted that the labeling of genetically modified foods is not related to safety. All genetically modified foods approved for market circulation are safe, and adopting a labeling system is mainly to protect consumers' right to know. The canteen of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs also purchases food from ordinary supermarkets and wholesale markets of agricultural products, such as genetically modified soybean oil, which has always been purchased and used.