Most commercially available papayas do not have a "gene" designation. Trainee reporter Wen Qingqiang
In summer, papaya is a kind of fruit that people often use to add soup or eat raw. Papaya stew slush is a favorite of many women who love beauty. A few days ago, Shenzhen citizens reported that they said that there was an imported papaya on the shelves of fruits in supermarkets with “non-genetically modified†logos. Other papayas did not have logos. Faced with high and small “non-genetically modified†papayas, the citizens were worried. Inevitably guilty: Is the common papaya that we often eat genetically modified? Does the genetically modified food cause harm to the human body? With these doubts of the public, the reporter conducted an in-depth investigation and interviewed the introduction of improved varieties of crops in Shenzhen City. The relevant experts of the center.
Hainan common papaya popular in Shenzhen
After receiving calls from the public, our reporter visited more than 10 supermarket malls such as PARKnSHOP, Carrefour, and Wal-Mart. The reporter found that, in addition to the “non-transgenic†papaya that is imported from the Philippines sold by King Tin Wal-Mart, the papayas sold at supermarkets in other supermarkets do not have any “transgenic†or “non-transgenic†markers.
The reporter saw that the price of imported papaya bearing the "non-genetically modified" logo was quite different from that of ordinary papaya. Ordinary papaya was sold at Jingtian Wal-Mart at 2.5 yuan/500 grams, while the price of "non-transgenic" imported papaya was as high as 6.8 yuan/. 500 g.
"Non-genetically modified" papayas are sold at a high price, but they are not sold, they are rough, and they are very small, so they are put off on the supermarket shelves. Common papayas are big heads and they look "pretty," and the flesh is also inside. All of them are bright red or bright yellow, and they are really attractive, so they are very popular. From time to time, consumers go to select and buy.
Xiao Yang, a salesman at Kingfield Wal-Mart, told reporters: “The 'non-GMO' papayas that are piled on the shelves are almost rotten. However, few patrons are still patronizing. Ordinary papayas coming from Hainan require constant purchase.â€
Papaya double "identity" most citizens do not know
During the investigation, the reporter interviewed some citizens at random. The reporter found that the public was unfamiliar with the concept of genetically modified foods. It was even more surprised to hear that papaya was divided between “genetically modified†and “non-genetically modifiedâ€. Auntie Li, who bought food at the Lunfu supermarket every day, told reporters: “I often buy some papayas and go back to cooking and frying. The selection of papayas is mainly based on factors such as raw and cooked, hard and soft, and fineness, but I have never noticed transgenes and non-transgenics. Question: When I learned about the difference between "genetically modified" and "non-genetically modified" foods, Aunt Lee continued to ask reporters: "Is it a good thing to eat genetically modified papaya?"
Although most citizens do not pay attention to the "transgenic" problem of papaya, some people are also more sensitive to it. At Jing Tian's Wal-Mart, reporters encountered Miss Zhou, who was tagged with “non-genetically modified†papaya. Ms. Zhou told reporters that she chose “non-genetically modified†papaya for children over 1 year of age. Ms. Zhou said that she has some knowledge of genetically modified foods and knows that the current scientific community is harmful to genetically modified foods. However, for safety reasons, she will be very careful when she picks food for her children. If the same type of food is labeled as "genetically modified" Or "non-genetically modified", she would definitely pick "non-transgenic" for the child.