Health officials say GM food OK

Genetically modified organisms are safe and there is no need for consumers to worry about consuming GM foods, the Department of Health said yesterday.

A health department survey last month indicated that many Taiwan consumers are not sure whether genetically engineered foods are safe. The department said they would implement rules requiring the labeling of GM foods beginning next year.

According to the department, 68.1 percent of those polled have heard of GM organisms, and 22 percent of those consider them harmful to human health while another 40 percent regard them as unnatural.

Of those who have heard of genetically-modified foods, 33.9 percent said they would make a point of choosing non-GM foodstuffs.

On the other hand, 73 percent of all respondents suggested that the forthcoming labeling system should be mandatory, while only 8.4 percent said food producers should be allowed to decide whether to label their foods as genetically-modified.

Some respondents disapproved of voluntary labeling because they do not trust businessmen and take the view that only by enforcement will food corporations address the issue. Some said that consumers have the right to be able to decide whether to purchase GM foods.

In another survey conducted by the health department also last month, 73 percent of respondents said all GM foods should be labeled, regardless of the percentage of GM organisms contained in the food.

Chen Shu-kong (陳樹功), director of the Bureau of Food Sanitation (食品衛生處) under the health department, said his understanding of the results suggested that the public was generally accepting of GM organisms, but it is the media's intensive coverage of the issue that arouses suspicion of such products, as indicated by the high percentage of support for compulsory labeling of GM food products.

Opponents of such products say the gene inserted to modify an organism may cause allergic reactions in some people.

"We will comply with the public's demands by starting a labeling system next year. To request labeling for all GM foods regardless of the percentage of genetically engineered ingredients, however, is way too harsh and impossible," Chen said. "Even the EU and Japan are not that harsh," he said.

Because of the uproar over the impact of GM organisms on human health and on biodiversity, the EU stipulates that all GM food products containing over 1 percent of GM ingredients must inform consumers with a proper label, while Japan sets the threshold at 5 percent.

Some EU countries, such as France and Germany, have banned GM foods.

The health department is still undecided about how strict the labeling system should be. "We're still observing the EU's next step for a clearer labeling standard because they're more advanced than Taiwan," Chen said.

He also said that the labeling system to be started next year would not initially be compulsory for all products, because not all food corporations and local labs have the technology and know-how to ascertain the precise percentage of GM content. The health department would only demand labeling on soybeans and corn, known to be widely genetically engineered in the US, which exports produce to Taiwan.

Eric Liou (劉銘龍), secretary-general of the Environmental Quality Protection Foundation (環境品質文教基金會), said the health department lagged behind public opinion, as its surveys were carried out before Taiwan's population was widely aware of the risks of GM organisms. The foundation, both in late August and earlier this week, drew considerable public attention and generated much discussion about the safety of GM organisms by revealing the results of their own GM food testing and bringing into the public domain further information about GM organisms worldwide.