By Mei Mei Chu
BEIJING (Reuters) – China has approved the safety of genetically modified wheat for the first time, as it cautiously moves forward with the commercial cultivation of genetically modified food crops.
China last year accelerated approval of higher-yielding, insect- and herbicide-resistant genetically modified (GM) corn and soybean seeds to ensure its food security, but adoption remains slow and cautious due to concerns about health impact. health and ecology.
Unlike genetic modification, which introduces foreign genes into a plant, gene editing modifies existing genes to change or improve its performance and is considered by some scientists to be less risky than genetic modification.
China mainly imports genetically modified crops such as corn and soybeans for animal feed and grows non-genetically modified varieties for food consumption. Many Chinese consumers remain concerned about the safety of genetically modified food crops.
The approval of disease-resistant, genetically modified wheat is seen as a milestone because the ingredient – used to make pasta, noodles and bread – is mainly grown in China for food consumption. China is the world’s largest producer and consumer of wheat.
“This is a big step, we can see the light for China to open authorizations for other food crops,” said a seed industry official.
Beijing is also expected to adopt new rules this year for labeling genetically modified crops used in food products, state media reported in March.
The Ministry of Agriculture also approved on Wednesday a new variety of genetically modified corn with herbicide and insect resistance characteristics, as well as a variety of genetically modified corn with higher yield.
The GM corn approval includes a variety from Origin Agritech.
The safety certificates were approved for five years starting May 5, according to a document released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.
The world’s largest buyer of soybeans and corn aims to increase domestic production with higher-yielding seeds and reduce grain imports by more than 100 million tonnes a year.
(Reporting by Mei Mei Chu, editing by Louise Heavens and Michael Erman)
