Therefore, the authorities should put more emphasis on food safety and establish stricter inspection on GM foods. They should also watch how GM foods are entering our food markets. When it comes to the safety of the nation and its people, the possible risks of widespread production of GM crops should be taken seriously.

First, under the leadership of the Leading Group of Product Quality and Food Safety with the State Council, the authorities should set up a review board to include experts from the fields of agriculture, medicine, law, environtology and food. This group should repeatedly conduct a systematic, scientific and rigorous verification over the commercial planting of GM crops. Medical tests on a large sample of GM foods should be conducted.

The potential risks of GM foods should be monitored over a long period of time. Even though right now there are no signs that prove GM foods are harmful to our health and to the environment, the promotion of GM crops should be limited. The proposal for a large-scale popularization of GM crops should be submitted to the National People's Congress for deliberation. Once they are in the market, GM foods should be clearly identified to show their safety uncertainty and remind consumers of their choices.

Second, the right to know the truth about GM foods and the right of choice should be respected and guaranteed. Before making a decision on major events concerning people's livelihoods, related information should be publicized in a comprehensive, accurate and factual way. Experts and officials should be held accountable for their recommendations or studies on GM foods. They should be punished if they make the wrong decisions that result in the loss of lives.

Third, strict management should be adopted by institutions and researchers engaging in GM food studies. Their scientific results should be examined and evaluated by the board of review set up by the State Council. A researcher who falsifies and doctors scientific experimentations or colludes with business groups to hide results from the public should be investigated according to the law.

The author is president of the Beijing Chaoyang Diabetes Hospital.