Genetically Modified Food Labeling in China

陳舒

Abstract：Although genetically modified food has been common in China， the public still has many concerns about its safety. In order to protect consumers rights and better encourage the development of trans-genetic technology， the legislation of genetically modified food labeling has been an urgent demand in China. Currently， there are two major labeling system in the world： mandatory labeling and voluntary labeling The choice of the genetically modified food labeling is influenced by many factors such as production scale， international trade and consumers attitudes. Considering Chinas situation and learning from other countries experiences， China ought to take mandatory labeling system rather than voluntary labeling system.

Key words： Genetically modified food； food labeling； China

In China， genetically modified food ， as a new technology， has not been fully accepted by the public. Although it has brought many benefits for human beings， its potential risks have not been adequately tested. “Many sources generate informational and persuasive messages about GM technologies that compete to help determine consumer perceptions and adoption of the new technology. In the case of food， the product label is a powerful medium for delivering messages”（Roe et al. 49）. Therefore， genetically modified food labeling may be an effective way to appease strong oppositions to genetically modified food in China. And many countries have used the way of labeling genetically modified foods to protect consumers rights.

Now there are two main methods of genetically modified food labeling around the world： voluntary labeling and mandatory labeling. Both voluntary labeling and mandatory labeling have its own advantages and disadvantages. Mandatory labeling can better protect consumers rights but its cost is relatively high. Voluntary labeling is more flexible but more difficult to get the real information.（Dannenberga et al. 373） There are many factors affecting the choice of genetically modified food labeling， among which production scale， trade status and consumers attitudes are three dominant factors. Some empirical experiments have also proved the statement. For example， Gruere， Carter and Farzin have done an empirical experiment about international differences in genetically modified food labeling policies. They wrote in the conclusion that “we considered three possible explanations for GM labeling policies： domestic political factors （consumer and producer preferences）， international trade factors （trade dependency and trade relationships）， and macroeconomic factors （income， importance of agriculture）”（Guillaume et al. 408）.

According to different situations， different countries have chosen the most suitable way to label genetically modified foods. To be more specific， the United States， as the biggest producer and exporter of genetically modified food， tends to take more practical and less expensive labeling way. On the contrary， countries with low public acceptance of genetically modified food tend to choose some more stringent labeling methods to protect consumers rights.

To choose which one should be adopted is a hot-debated issue in many countries. Since situations in different countries are by no means similar， the answer will definitely be different. As for China， considering the production scale， international trade status and consumers attitudes， the government should use mandatory labeling to regulate genetically modified food market. Further Improvement For Mandatory Labeling Policies also needed in China， Food Safety Law， the basic food law in China， dose have some regulations about food labeling but dose not involve any specific regulations about genetically modified food labeling.（Wang 75） Therefore， the government should take genetically modified food labeling issue into legal framework as soon as possible， using mandatory labeling method to regulate the whole market. Besides， some specific regulations are necessary as well. First， the government should set a tolerance level of genetically modified content. If the figure exceeds the tolerance level， than food must be labeled. Second， the government should pay more attention to the food labels that indicates food does not have any genetically modified food content （Guo 105）. Consumers can be easily misled by these labels. For example， we may see a bottle of peanut oil with a label showing that it dose not involve any genetically modified peanut. However， genetically modified peanuts are not existed in the world at all. These labels can easily mislead consumers and cause unnecessary panic.

Work Cited：

Chen， Chao-Hung. “Labeling Genetically Modified Food- Comparative Law Studies from Consumers Perspective.” Social Science Electronic Publishing January 2006： 35-43. Print.

Dannenberga， Astrid， Sara Scatastab and Bodo Sturma. “Mandatory Versus Voluntary Labeling of Genetically Modified Food： Evidence from an Economic Experiment.” Agricultural Economics June 2011： 373-386. Print.

Guillaume， P. Gruere， Colin A.Carter， and Y. Hossein Farzin. “Explaining International Differences in Genetically Modified Food Labeling Policies.” Review of International Economics July. 2004： 393-408. Print.

Guo， Gui-huan. “A Comparative Study on the Consumers Right to the Genetically Modified Food Labeling.” Northern Legal Science April 2015： 105-112. Print.