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China shelves commercial production of GM rice again

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2007-02-26 10:39

Xue Dayuan, an expert with the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) said GM rice might harm the ecosystem as the new insect-resistant gene might cause some pests to mutate and affect the whole food chain.

Many opponents are also worry that long-term consumption of GM products can harm the human body.

"Genetically modified rice could cause an irreversible genetic pollution," Ma Tianjie, a project director with the international group Greenpeace said.

A survey released earlier by Greenpeace shows that 50 percent of Chinese consumers prefer non-genetically modified food and only 26 percent said they were willing to try the genetically modified food.

Currently only the United States has approved the production of GM rice for commercial purpose in restricted regions, he said.