DJ Official Says Many Chinese Fear Genetically Modified Food 2002-11-08 Dow Jones Newswire "If you want to see it as a war, it is a war being waged in the media and the anti-GMO forces are winning," Chassey said. DJ Official Says Many Chinese Fear Genetically Modified Food BEIJING (Dow Jones)--Many Chinese are worried about the potential health impact of genetically modified food products, or GMOs, a Chinese official said Friday. Media accounts from Britain about the human version of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad cow disease, as well as reports of negative health effects on GMO-fed lab rats, have sensitized the public to potential safety risks, National People's Congress Deputy and China Seed Association President Professor Wang Lianzheng said. "People worry about the safety of GMO products...they want to know if they are safe to consume," Wang said on the sidelines of an international soybean conference. Wang said those concerns justified the imposition in January of controversial import regulations for genetically modified agricultural products. The new rules are widely perceived as non-tariff barriers to shield China's farm sector from the impact of increased imports, as well as an attempt by cash-strapped ministries to expand their regulatory reach to bolster revenue. Soybean growers and shippers have criticized the rules, which involve safety certification of GMO products, as vague and unpredictable. Wang said that China's import regulations were similar to those enacted in Europe, Japan and South Korea and that GMO foods should be clearly marked in order to allow China's consumers the right to choose whether to consume them. "The U.S. is very attentive to human rights, and this is also a human right, the right to choose (GMO or non-GMO) foods," he said. Wang said the potential health impact of genetically modified food products has yet to be fully established and recommended further research to ensure the health of the public. Large scale testing of the health impact of GMOs is fairly recent and hasn't provided a full enough picture of the long term safety risks posed by GMO consumption, he said. "People aren't (test) rats," Wang said. Domestic GMO researchers have expressed concerns that policymakers have unwittingly started a public anti-GMO movement by linking import restrictions to a potential food safety threat. The assistant Director of Biotechnology Communication and Outreach at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Bruce M. Chassey, said Wednesday during a speech in Beijing that China is a target of a multimillion dollar international campaign designed to create fear about GMOs and biotechnology. "If you want to see it as a war, it is a war being waged in the media and the anti-GMO forces are winning," Chassey said. -By Phelim Kyne, Dow Jones Newswires; 8610 6588-5848; Phelim.kyne@dowjones.com (END) Dow Jones Newswires 08-11-02 1104GMT