Genetic modification way of future

By 2050, the world population will reach 9 billion, and food demand will increase by 70 percent, compared with the current level. In view of this nonreversible trend, Newell-McGloughlin believed scientists should set a timeline for activities to popularize scientific knowledge on GM.

Over the past few years, Chinese scientists have passively responded to rumors spread across the nation. She suggested that scientists go out with policy makers and opinion leaders to explain the benefits brought about by GM technology. "If scientists can adopt a more proactive approach, people will get more accurate information," she said.

Despite all these advancements, it is still difficult to quell the public distrust for GM scientists. Public figures have a great influence on the public's judgment. After several rounds of unresolvable spats on the Internet with another opinion leader Fang Zhouzi, famous TV presenter Cui Yongyuan, an anti-GM enthusiast, spent 500,000 yuan ($82,653) to embark on a journey to the US for what he called independent investigation. His conclusion is that most Americans are also kept in the dark as to GM safety. And the online opinion showed nearly 100 percent sided with him.

Similar to the situation in the US, you can hardly find any member of the anti-GM lobby that has a scientific research background. "They don't have scientific evidence to support them, so they resort to rumors or outdated data," Newell-McGloughlin said.

She believes random street investigation may be misleading. She suggested Cui should go to the International Food Information Society for more information. The institute every two years conducts a consumer survey on food safety.

They strictly control research techniques to ensure that their questions are neutral. In addition, investigation should at least involve 1,000 people with a strict monitoring of their gender, academic ground and professions.

It is for these reasons, the University of California, Davis established a team of scientists working with the media and set up a website with more than 700 articles on transgenic evaluation detailing the safety concerns.

The year 2013 also marked the 60th anniversary of the discovery of the DNA double-helix structure, the basis for all GM technologies. Since the advent of GM crops in 1996, humans have consumed more than 2 trillion copies of GM modified foods, and most of them are consumed in the US. More than half of its supermarket foods contain genetically modified ingredients. Meanwhile GM corn and soybeans are also fed to pigs, cattle and chickens in the US. In fact, China has stricter standards on GM product labeling, while the US Food and Drug Administration does not require a mandatory GM logo on the product.

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