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Excessive Chinese concerns over genetically engineered food safety are unjustified

Nature Plants volume 6, page 590 (2020)Cite this article

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To the Editor — Over 20 years of genetically engineered (GE) crops have boosted agricultural productivity and improved the agroecological environment1,2. Although great economic, ecological and social benefits have been realized with the adoption of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) cotton in China3,4,5, this experience has not facilitated adoption of GE food crops because of excessive concern over the safety of GE food6. For example, although two Bt rice lines, Bt Shanyou 63 and Huahui No. 1, were issued biosafety certificates in 2009, and Huahui No. 1 was approved for consumption by the US Food and Drug Administration in 2018, the lines have not yet been planted commercially in China4.

Social surveys suggest that opposition to GE crops is largely attributed to extensive concern regarding their safety as food and fodder, rather than concern regarding environmental risks6,7. For example, a survey in 2018 by Cui and Shoemaker showed over 46% of respondents having a negative view of GE food6. Although massive scientific literature and multiple international authorities have confirmed the food safety of approved GE food1, consumers appear more willing to believe non-scientific misinformation and even illogical rumours that are easily accessed from the internet and other media, such as WeChat6. With past food safety scandals, including milk powder tainted with melamine and rice with dangerous levels of cadmium, the Chinese public has little faith in food safety authorities7. Instead of once again emphasizing the safety of GE food using scientific data, we present two contexts illuminating how delays in approval of GE crop lines for commercial cultivation because of excessive food safety concerns are unjustified.

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References

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Acknowledgements

This work is supported by the National GMO New Variety Breeding Program of the People’s Republic of China (2016ZX08011-001).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China

    Yunhe Li & Yufa Peng

  2. Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA

    Eric M. Hallerman

Authors
  1. Yunhe Li
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  2. Eric M. Hallerman
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  3. Yufa Peng
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Contributions

Y.L. conceived of the idea for this Correspondence. Y.L. and E.M.H. collected the data and drafted the manuscript. Y.P. provided critical comments and revised the manuscript.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Yunhe Li or Eric M. Hallerman.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Li, Y., Hallerman, E.M. & Peng, Y. Excessive Chinese concerns over genetically engineered food safety are unjustified. Nat. Plants 6, 590 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-020-0685-4

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