As food containing nucleic acid gains popularity in some Chinese cities £¬ Chinese scientists are warning consumers to distance themselves from such so-called¡°gene food £¬¡± which has been promoted by manufacturers as health food that can repair damaged human genes and thereby cure diseases £¬ according to the latest Beijing Review.

Dr. Zhang Meng£¬ a member of the China Leading Group of the Human Genome Project£¬ pointed out recently that strictly speaking£¬ there is no such thing as¡°gene food.¡± It is true £¬ he said£¬ that all human diseases are directly or indirectly associated with damage to genes £¬ which contain a certain amount of nucleic acid. However £¬ he said£¬ the extra nucleic acid provided by¡°gene food ¡± can neither cure diseases nor boost health because human beings take in a tremendous amount of nucleic acid in their daily diet.

¡°The last thing human bodies require is nucleic acid £¬¡± he said.

As for transgenosis food£¬ Zhang said £¬ it is food processed from transgenosis organisms.

Technically £¬ transgenosis food is neutral £¬ doing no harm or good to the human body £¬ according to Zhu Zhen£¬ deputy head of the Institute of Genetics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences. By 1999£¬ there were already 40 million hectares of farmland producing genetically altered crops around the world.

Zhu noted that transgenosis food£¬ which involves transplanting alien genes into certain plants £¬ might have some potential risks that are hard to detect in the short term. Given this£¬ he said£¬ it is extremely necessary to tighten supervision and regulation over the production of such food.

An official from China¡®s Ministry of Agriculture revealed that China has only approved the commercial production of transgenosis pest-resistant cotton. So far£¬ none of the transgenosis crops or food has been granted such permission.

The official criticized some reports claiming that transgenosis food was already on the domestic market. Currently £¬ commercial production of such food in China needs to pass safety evaluations and other related examinations.