健康生活:中國的轉基因食品之爭

A Chinese agricultural official's unsupported claims about the carcinogenic risks of consuming genetically modified soybeans have rekindled a fervent debate about the use of genetically modified crops in a country with ever-expanding food needs.

中國一名農業官員聲稱食用轉基因大豆有致癌風險，這一未經證實的說法在一個食品需求不斷增加的國家引發了關於使用轉基因作物的激烈爭論。

Wang Xiaoyu, deputy secretary general of the Heilongjiang Soybean Association, a supporter of local non-genetically modified soybeans, recently told local media that people who consume soy oil made with genetically modified soybeans 'are more vulnerable to developing tumors and suffering sterility' (in Chinese)

黑龍江大豆協會副祕書長王小語近日向當地媒體表示，轉基因大豆油的消費者更容易患腫瘤、不孕不育。他是當地非轉基因大豆的支持者。

To back his claim, Mr. Wang noted that regions where consumption of GMO soy oil was high, such as the southern provinces of Fujian and Guangdong, also boasted relatively high levels of cancer.

爲了佐證自己的觀點，王小語指出，例如福建和廣東等南方省份是轉基因大豆油的消費集中區域，同時也是腫瘤發病集中區。

Experts were quick to call Mr. Wang's methodology into question, with several noting that he had failed to present even a scintilla of laboratory evidence linking GMO soy oil with cancer or fertility problems. But in a country already deeply suspicious of genetically modified crops, social media users took the idea and ran with it, sending fear over carcinogenic oil seeping through the Chinese Internet.

專家們很快對王小語的理論提出質疑，數位專家表示他甚至未拿出轉基因大豆油與癌症或不孕不育問題有關的一丁點實驗室證據來。但是，在一個本就對轉基因作物有着深深疑慮的國家，社交媒體用戶聽信了這一說法並大肆傳播，令整個中國互聯網都充斥着對“致癌油”的擔憂之情。

'We should replace all the leaders' special provisions with GMO food,' wrote one user of Sina Corp.'s popular Weibo microblogging platform. 'Good things should be reserved for the Communist Party.'

新浪微博的一位用戶寫道：我們應該把所有領導的特供食品都換成轉基因食品，好東西應該留給共產黨。

The strong response to Mr. Wang's conjecture appears to have been fueled in part by a recent government decision to approve imports of new varieties of genetically modified soy beans, as well as by rumors that people in the U.S. don't eat the genetically modified foods they produce.

公衆對於王小語這一推測的強烈反應，似乎在一定程度上與近期政府決定批准幾種新的轉基因大豆進口有關，此外也可能是因爲有謠言說美國人不吃自產的轉基因食品。

In June, Chinese agricultural authorities approved imports of three new genetically modified soy bean varieties, including two produced by U.S. seed giant Monsanto and one by German chemical producer BASF. GMO opponents criticized the country's agriculture ministry for failing to be transparent about the approvals.

今年6月份，中國農業當局批准進口三種轉基因大豆，其中兩種來自美國種業巨頭孟山都公司(Monsanto)，另一種來自德國化工生產商巴斯夫(BASF)。反對轉基因食品的人批評農業部審批不透明。

The ministry said in a statement that it had received import applications from the two companies in 2010, but a search of the ministry website turns up no documents or notices indicating applications were filed. The ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

農業部發布聲明說，其在2010年就已經收到了這兩家公司的進口申請，但是在農業部網站搜索不到表明申請已經提交的文件或者通知。農業部未立即回覆記者的置評請求。

Meanwhile, rumors that U.S. consumers didn't eat genetically modified food fed into existing paranoia in China about GMO products, which have been described on some Chinese Internet discussion boards as a 'soft bomb' unleashed by the U.S. to destroy China and a U.S conspiracy to manipulate the global economy.

同時，有關美國消費者不吃轉基因食品的謠言也令中國國內對轉基因食品的猜疑更加狂熱。在中國一些網絡論壇中，還有人說轉基因食品是美國旨在摧毀中國的“軟炸彈”，是美國想要操縱全球經濟的一個陰謀。

In fact, U.S. consumers eat large quantities of genetically modified food. Speaking in a panel discussion hosted on the website of the Communist Party mouthpiece People's Daily (in Chinese), Li Ning, director of the Ministry of Agriculture's gene safety management division, noted that 70% of food in the U.S. contained genetically modified material.

實際上，美國消費者食用大量轉基因食品。在共產黨喉舌《人民日報》網站所舉辦的訪談中，農業部科技發展中心基因安全管理處處長李寧說，美國70％以上的食品都含有轉基因成分。

'There haven't been any confirmed food safety cases caused by GMO food so far. It is safe to eat genetically modified food,' she said.

她說，至今未發生一例經過證實的轉基因食品安全性事故；食用轉基因食品是安全的。

Tasked with feeding 20% of the world's population on less than 10% of the world's arable land, China's government has pushed for the use of GMO technologies to boost the country's seed sector and improve agricultural efficiency. The country's national science and strategy lists the development of pest- and disease-resistant GMO crops as a key project.

爲了用不足世界10%的耕地養活世界20%的人口，中國政府推動了轉基因技術的使用以提振該國的種子行業、提高農業生產效率。中國國家科技戰略將抗病蟲害轉基因作物的研發列爲重要項目。

Developing genetically modified crops is 'just like adding wings to a tiger,' Huang Dafang, a researcher with the Biotechnology Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, said during an interview in March. A key GMO supporter, Mr. Huang argues that conventional agriculture alone cannot solve China's food needs.

中國農業科學院生物技術研究所研究員黃大昉在3月份接受採訪時說，發展轉基因作物是“如虎添翼”。作爲轉基因的重要支持者，黃大昉說，單靠傳統農業無法解決中國的食品需求。

But public opposition to the use of genetically modified crops remains strong.

但是公衆反對使用轉基因作物的聲音依然很高。

'China doesn't need to develop GMO. If we cultivate land well and waste less feed (don't throw dead pigs into rivers), China's agriculture can feed the Chinese people,' Gu Xiulin, a Yunnan University of Finance and Economics processor, wrote on Weibo. 'GMO is a magic knife that can annihilate mankind and destroy the environment例 don't be fooled.'

雲南財經大學教授顧秀林在微博上寫道：中國根本不用搞轉基因，如果好好種地、少浪費飼料（不要把老多豬喂死了扔江河裏），中國農業能養活中國人；轉基因是滅亡人類毀壞生態的一把魔刀，不要上當。

In fact, China has been importing genetically modified soy beans since 1997, and also allows the import of some varieties of genetically modified corn, though both are subject to strict controls. At present, genetically modified corn and soy are only approved for processing into soyoil, soymeal and animal feed, not direct human consumption.

實際上，中國自1997年起就一直在進口轉基因大豆，同時也允許進口某些轉基因玉米，儘管對兩者都進行了嚴格控制。目前，轉基因玉米和大豆只批准用於加工爲大豆油、豆粕和動物飼料，而不是直接供人食用。

China has become the world's largest soybean importer, buying about 60% of the globally traded soybeans. Most of those imported soybeans are genetically modified varieties produced in the U.S., Brazil and Argentina.

中國已經成爲了世界最大的大豆進口國，進口量佔到了全球大豆貿易量的60%。而中國進口的大多數大豆都是產自美國、巴西和阿根廷的轉基因品種。

In November 2009, the agricultural ministry issued bio-safety certificates to two strains of pest-resistant GMO rice and one variety phytase corn, approving them for use on experimental plots. (Phytase can increase phosphorus absorption in animals and helps reduce feed costs and improve feed efficiency.) Commercial planting of GMO crops is still strictly prohibited, though European Union authorities claim to have found traces of genetically modified rice in imported rice products from China.

在2009年11月份，中國農業部向兩種抗蟲害轉基因水稻及一種轉植酸酶基因玉米頒發了生物安全證書，批准它們在試驗田中進行種植。（植酸酶可以增加動物對磷的吸收，幫助降低飼養成本、提高飼養效率）。商業種植轉基因作物仍被嚴格禁止，不過歐盟(European Union)當局聲稱已經在從中國進口的大米產品中發現了轉基因大米的痕跡。

The government has not signaled any intention to allow large-scale planting of GMO grain crops, largely out of concern over the public reaction.

中國政府並未顯示出任何允許大規模種植轉基因糧食作物的意圖，這主要是出於對公衆反應的擔心。

'It's not normal for a developing country like China not to develop advanced technologies,' Mr. Huang said.

黃大昉稱，中國這樣的發展中國家不發展先進科技，這是不正常的。