GM push sparks debate about food safety, quality

With the realization that China is using 7 percent of the world's arable land to feed only a quarter of its population, the Chinese government is pushing for genetic modification research to increase crop yields, said professor Huang Dafang.

The goal is to ensure adequate food supplies, he said.

Genetically modified organisms have genetic material, or DNA, that has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally. Genetic modification allows selected individual genes to be transferred from one organism into another, and also between non-related species, to create advantages, experts say. Such methods are used to create genetically modified plants, which are then used to grow genetically modified food crops.