Legume products as a staple food: Former Vice Minister of Agriculture says it will be considered in the future
Member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, former Vice Minister of Agriculture, China's Permanent Representative to the UN Food and Agriculture Agencies
Yesterday morning, after attending a group discussion of the CPPCC, Niu Dun, member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and former Vice Minister of Agriculture, accepted an interview with The Beijing News and other media. When talking about the issue of genetically modified organisms, he told a reporter from The Beijing News that the Ministry of Agriculture hopes to use GM technology to improve crop resistance, yield and quality. When a GM crop obtains a safety certificate, it means it is safe and edible.
Niu Dun recently stepped down as Vice Minister of Agriculture and took up the post of China's Permanent Representative to the UN Food and Agriculture Agencies. When talking about the issue of making potatoes a staple food, he said that the strategy of making potatoes a staple food is not because China does not have enough grain and is looking for a substitute, but rather to further optimize staple food varieties, and in the future, the possibility of promoting soy products as a staple food cannot be ruled out.
GMO safety
No crop is zero-risk
The Beijing News: What is the Ministry of Agriculture's attitude toward the GMO issue?
Niu Dun: GMOs are a very important opportunity and possibility.
We have three goals for the research and development of GM technology and agricultural products. The first is to serve the solution of food security, enhancing the quantity of agricultural products through its research, development and commercial application; the second is to use the research and development of this technology to improve the stress resistance of agricultural product varieties, for example, making wheat and rice unafraid of low temperatures, drought, pests and diseases.
Third, we also hope to enhance the quality of agricultural products through biotechnology research and development, giving these agricultural products more nutrients. For example, girls very much like to be beautiful, but cannot hold back the traces of time. What can be done when they appear on the face? We can increase unsaturated fatty acids in grains and vegetable oils, (after eating them) people will feel that their complexion and spirit are both very good.
Progress achieved so far is that we have improved crop resistance, while yield and quality are a beautiful ideal. We are now working toward this goal, and there are not yet more results and data. It is estimated that our generation will still need to work hard.
The Beijing News: How should the safety issue of GM crops be understood?
Niu Dun: So far no food or item has been found to be 100 percent zero-risk, so to evaluate whether GMOs are safe or not, there must be sufficient experimental results and data. It takes the efforts of a generation, as well as accumulation across generations, to make a judgment. We merely want to take such an advanced thing, maximize its advantages, and keep its disadvantages from emerging as much as possible.
⟦NL> The Beijing News: Does a GM crop obtaining a safety certificate mean it can be safely eaten?
Niu Dun: Obtaining a safety certificate means it is safe and can be eaten, but when enterprises put the product on the market, they must still carry a GMO label. Why label it? Based on your knowledge and your consumption preferences, you have the right to know and also the right to choose. Even though it is safe, I still do not want to eat it. No one is forcing you; you decide for yourself.
GMO supervision
Some people have “crossed the line” on the issue of “indiscriminate planting”
The Beijing News: The Ministry of Agriculture recently published a document on strengthening supervision of GM crops. Does this mean the Ministry of Agriculture will begin to strengthen supervision of the “indiscriminate planting” problem?
Niu Dun: This is to further strengthen supervision. There are laws ahead that stipulate what qualifications institutions must have to conduct research and development, and what kind can be tested. In the process, some people may not have studied carefully enough and crossed the line, so strict supervision is needed.
The Beijing News: Some people question that the safety labeling system greatly increases costs.
Niu Dun: Labeling is required by law. The increased cost is voluntary for those enterprises producing non-GMO products. But now there is a phenomenon in the market called “bad money drives out good money.” After non-GMO products are produced, the law says they may not be labeled, but these enterprises still want to label them, because they know that some consumers are very willing to consume non-GMO products.