In this blog post, we will take a look at how the price of GMO foods is determined, what the nature of the safety controversy is, and what we did not know about them.
As a fifth-year bachelor, I go to the market about two or three times a week. The items I buy range from food items such as vegetables, fruits, and meat to daily necessities such as shampoo, conditioner, and toilet paper. However, when I try to buy something from this list, I have no choice but to think about it. This is because there are so many different types and price ranges for even one item. In this case, I usually choose a product in a reasonable price range, assuming that the price will vary depending on the brand name or whether it is organic. However, I sometimes have a sudden question. Is the product I chose cheap because it is not organic or a brand product? Is there something else that I, the consumer, don’t know about that determines the price?
A long time ago, a product called “GMO canola oil” became a controversy in the Korean food industry. This was because it was revealed that an imported canola oil product may have used GMO as an ingredient. GMO stands for Genetically Modified Organism, which is also known as “genetically modified organisms” or “genetically modified agricultural products” in Korean. A genetically modified organism is a living organism in which a useful gene is taken and inserted into a living organism that does not have that gene to make it exhibit useful properties. Korea is the second largest importer of GMO crops in the world, importing about 8 million tons of GMO crops each year. About 77% of the total crop imports are GMO crops.
Although a considerable amount of GMO crops or products are imported into Korea, we cannot tell which ones are GMO products. This is because there are too many exceptions to the GMO labeling regulations. Looking at the GMO labeling systems of other countries, Korea exempts foods such as soy sauce, cooking oil, and sugar from the labeling requirement if genetically modified DNA or protein is not detected. In addition, only seven of the 18 GMO crops (108 varieties) that have been commercialized worldwide are subject to labeling, and even if the GMO is detected in the top five ingredients used in a product or if the content is less than 3%, the product is exempt from labeling. In contrast, the European Union (EU) requires labeling if GMO is used as an ingredient, regardless of whether the GMO DNA is detected. The United States, where GMO exports account for a large share, does not have a GMO labeling system, but it does require labeling of foods made with GMOs that differ in nutritional content from regular varieties.
GMO crops are mainly food crops such as soybeans, corn, and potatoes. These crops have been genetically modified to increase their resistance to herbicides and pests, and boast superior yields compared to non-GMO crops. The increase in yield is expected to lead to a drop in prices, which will greatly contribute to solving the food problem for humanity. However, despite these advantages, there are reasons why GMOs are not welcome on the dinner table. The first is the “safety” of GMOs. In 2000, Dr. Kats of Jena University in Germany announced on ZDF TV that the herbicide resistance gene (pat) of GMO rapeseed is transferred to microorganisms in the organs of bees. In 1997, Dr. Schubert’s team in Germany claimed that when the antibiotic resistance genes of the virus were ingested by mice, the virus genes were temporarily detected in the blood of the mice. Although these claims were later refuted in a published paper, the controversy continues as no research results have yet been able to convince the public that GMO crops are safe. The second is the possibility of ingesting herbicides through GMOs. In order to produce seemingly flawless, smooth crops, producers pour an enormous amount of herbicides on GMO crops with enhanced herbicide resistance. Even if the herbicides used are diluted 99.8%, they are still deadly enough to damage human genes.
Since GMO products are still controversial, consumers have the right to know the information about GMO foods, and food companies have the obligation to disclose it. To do so, the GMO labeling system in Korea needs to be improved. First, it is necessary to change the current method of determining whether a product contains genetically modified DNA or protein to checking the level of nutritional components (oleic acid, vitamins, etc.). This is because the absence of GMO proteins does not mean that GMO products have not been used. In addition, for products that cannot be tested qualitatively, it is not easy to confirm whether they are used as raw materials even if they are in the top five. Therefore, all ingredients in food raw materials should be subject to GMO labeling. In Korea, general crops and GMOs are distributed separately, but the “unintentional contamination allowance” that acknowledges the possibility of unintentional mixing of some GMOs is set at 3% or less, which is too high to be considered an accident. Therefore, since we have sufficient testing technology, lowering the “unintentional contamination allowance” to 1% would be one way to go.
Food companies oppose GMO labeling because they are aware of these controversies. It is true that GMO foods allow us to buy food at a lower price, but if safety is not guaranteed, consumers will have no choice but to turn away from GMO products. Rather than hiding information from consumers, food companies should disclose information, study the safety of GMOs, and promote them. In addition, the government should also strengthen its standards for food safety and actively promote the GMO labeling system.
