Q: What are the regulations on the labeling of agricultural genetically modified products in China? Is there any correlation between the labeling of agricultural genetically modified products and their safety?
A: Agricultural genetically modified products are subject to mandatory qualitative labeling system according to the catalogue. In 2002, the former Ministry of Agriculture issued the Measures for the Labeling of Agricultural Genetically Modified Organisms and formulated the catalogue for labeling, which required mandatory qualitative labeling of 17 genetically modified products in 5 categories — soybean, canola, corn, cotton and tomato.
At present, genetically modified crops approved for commercial cultivation in China include cotton and papaya only, while six crops have been approved for import as raw materials for processing which include soybean, corn, cotton, canola, beet and papaya. The international practice is based on various factors such as operability of labeling, economic cost and regulatory feasibility.
Genetically modified foods sold on the Chinese market, such as genetically modified soybean oil and rapeseed oil, are all required to be marked with the word "the raw material for processing is genetically modified soybean/rapeseed".
In 2018, the State Administration for Market Regulation, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and the National Health Commission jointly made an announcement which stipulates that edible vegetable oils with no similar genetically modified products on the market should not be marked with "non-genetically modified". In the past, "non-genetically modified" peanut oil on the market could often be seen, but actually there were no genetically modified peanuts on the market in and outside of China.
The genetically modified products that have been approved for market have all passed safety evaluation and obtained safety approval. There is no concern with their safety, thus the labeling of genetically modified products has nothing to do with safety.
Source: MAMR
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