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The safety of GM foods has to be proved now

`We should evaluate the safety and ecological impact of GM crops from a scientific and rational perspective.'

Genetic modification is an advanced biotechnological technique. Generally speaking, genetically modified (GM) crops are more resistant to cold, drought, high salinity, alkalinity and disease than those found growing in the wild. The technique of creating GM crops has demonstrated great potential for increasing the production of food staples and reducing the use of pesticides. The nutritional content of some food can also be increased through such techniques.

In 1983, the first genetically modified plant in the world -- a tobacco plant resistant to weed killer -- was created in the US. Afterwards, scientists discovered that some of the soil suitable for growing corn was not infested by corn root worms, for these soils contained a bacterium called Bacillus thurigiensist which produce a type of protein that is toxic to certain pests yet harmless to humans and animals. Scientists, therefore, extracted a DNA sample for the protein and transferred it to the corn seeds. Since then, genetic modification of agricultural crops was quickly introduced to the rest of the world.

In the past five years, the total area planted with GM crops has increased annually by 20 percent. Last year, the global area planted with GM crops set an unprecedented record of 81 million hectares. Because of its characteristics, GM crops can increase production (for example, in the Philippines, genetically produced corn has increased the yield by 37 percent) and reduce the use of pesticides (for example, in April this year the US-based Science magazine published a cover story pointing out that pesticides used in China's GM rice paddies have been reduced by 80 percent).

What is the correlation between GM food and human health? People are currently most concerned about three issues, namely allergy, gene transfer and hybridization.

First, will GM food cause allergy? GM food has to undergo a number of allergy tests conducted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Up to now, there has been no allergy-related cases caused by eating GM food.

Second, will the genes in GM food have negative effects on the human body? Since the genes of the GM food may be transferred to human cells or be incorporated with the bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract, we have to heed the possibility that such genes could be detrimental to the human body. However, with regard to antibiotic-resistant genes, we can further make use of this type of genes as they have been approved by the FAO and the WHO.

Third, will hybridization have a negative impact on food safety? Transferring genes from GM crops to conventional crops or wild plants may indirectly impact food safety. Thus, some countries have taken measures to reduce hybridization by clearly separating cropland producing GM crops from cropland producing conventional crops.

To sum up, we should evaluate the safety and ecological impact of GM crops from a scientific and rational perspective rather than believe in some hearsay and thus summarily reject the technology.

Lin Cheng-kun is a pediatrician.

Translated by Daniel Cheng
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