The debate has heated up since Cui Yongyuan, a well-known former China Central Television (CCTV) host, claimed he spent 500,000 yuan ($82,342) out of his own pocket to travel to the US to shoot a documentary investigating US people’s attitude toward GM food and its controversy in US academic circles.
This follows his war of words on GM food with Fang Zhouzi, an expert in chemical biology and a famous anti-fraud activist, who supports GM food being used to feed China, saying that people in many Western countries such as the US have been eating GM food for years and there should be no worries over its safety.
Hundreds of artists organized an anti-GM food activity in Beijing’s 798 Art District in November, while Land of Utopia, a bookstore and conservative website advocating the thoughts of Chairman Mao Zedong, said it’s a conspiracy orchestrated by Western countries to stop the Chinese reproducing.
Public debate has extended from the basic concept of safety to other issues, due to the complicated relationship between the interest groups behind it, such as those who sell organic food or overseas organizations who profit from exporting GM food to China.
Read full, original article: Celebrity Feud Ramps up GM food debate
