Concern over GM Papayas Raised by Jao

Genetically modified foods are not only causing a stink in the US, Europe, and Africa. In Taiwan, legislators and environmentalists are crying foul over the discovery of two GM papaya plants found growing outside of an experimental field. One environmental activist argues that "the government should immediately launch a safety assessment regarding GM papayas," citing a US case in which one highly touted papaya variety was found to be associated with a harmful allergen. Standards like those in Europe and North America, he said, should be followed to ensure GM food safety for consumers. "If we don't know anything about GM papayas, the product should not be available on the market," he argued. Meanwhile, Taiwanese health officials said that starting in 2004 GM crops and products will be required to carry labels identifying their GM origins. Currently Taiwan only allows the import of two GM crops, although 11 others are under evaluation. – YaleGlobal

Concern over GM Papayas Raised by Jao

Chiu Yu-Tzu
Tuesday, September 16, 2003

Legislators and environmentalists criticized the Council of Agriculture yesterday for failing to regulate genetically modified (GM) papaya seedlings in lab fields after the Cabinet's Department of Health discovered two GM papayas growing in Taichung County.

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Eugene Jao (趙永清) said this posed a risk to the health of consumers.

According to Jao, the agriculture council commenced research in 1998 into the development of papayas resistant to the devastating papaya ring spot virus.

One of the laboratories working on this is in Wufeng Township, Taichung County. The health department inspectors also discovered GM papayas growing in Wufeng in 2001.

"Rather than benefiting from the scientific research, we have become victims," Jao said at a press conference yesterday.

Huang Shan-ney (黃山內), director of the council's Food and Agriculture Department, said the council had not released any GM papaya seedlings to farmers.

Eric Liou (劉銘龍), secretary-general of the Taipei-based Environmental Quality Protection Foundation, said the agriculture council should keep tabs on all GM papaya seedlings in labs to ensure that GM papayas would not reach consumers.

"The government should immediately launch a safety assessment regarding GM papayas," Liou said.

In Europe or North America, it takes at least 10 years to complete a GM food safety assessment to safeguard consumers' health, Liou said.

"If we don't know anything about GM papayas, the product should not be available on the market," Liou said.

Pointing to a strain of GM papayas in Hawaii as an example of how the problem should be handled, Liou said the product was strongly promoted when it went to market five years ago, but last year it was scientifically associated with an allergen.

Liou said papaya cultivation is one of Taiwan's most important agricultural industries.

He said that it was not right that Taiwanese papaya farmers should to be hurt by the government's carelessness in regulating food products.

According to the health department, only two imported GM products are available on the Taiwanese market -- soya beans and corn. Another 11 GM food products and materials are under evaluation.

Health officials said the compulsory labeling of GM crops and products processed from GM foodstuffs would be implemented next year.

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