GMO Dilemmas: Scientists Examine GM Soybeans in China

Scientists are taking a closer look at GMOs to tackle some of the problem associated with them. More specifically, researchers are looking at China, where shrinking fields of domestic, non-GM soybeans and massive imports of cheaper, GM soybeans are flooding markets; yet consumers are looking to non-GM soybeans first.

"Many studies have focused on the global expansion of GM crops," said Jianguo "Jack" Liu, one of the researchers, in a news release. "However, the spatial and temporal changes of non-GM crops are not clear, although they have significant socioeconomic and environmental impacts as well as policy implications in the telecoupled world. Understanding the finer points of growing soybeans will be a crucial step to managing a global enterprise."

Demand for soybean as food, feed and oil has soared as China's economy booms and eating habits change. In fact, China is now the largest soybean importer in the world, bringing in more than 80 percent of the soybeans consumed, mainly from Brazil and the United States.

At the same time, soybean farming in China is struggling as farmers switch to more profitable crops.

"Cost versus food safety concerns is a dilemma in China, and consumers are pretending not to notice the soybeans they are getting are genetically modified," said Jing Sun, one of the researchers. "Our work will help inform the Chinese government on the status of local soybean crops, which is an issue that transcends the GM controversy, and includes environmental concerns."

The findings show that China's current dependence on foreign imports comes with potential costs around the globe, including the possibility of Amazon rainforest deforestation as Brazil ramps up soybean production to meet demand.

The findings are published in the journal Scientific Reports.

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