Department of Biotechnology and Food Technology, Faculty of Science, University of Johannesburg, P.O Box 17011, Doornfontein Campus, 2028, Gauteng, South Africa.
Department of Chemical Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Johannesburg, P.O Box 17011, Doornfontein Campus, 2028, Gauteng, South Africa.
Biotechnol Genet Eng Rev. 2021 Apr;37(1):30-63. doi: 10.1080/02648725.2021.1940735. Epub 2021 Jul 26.
Moving forward from 2020, Africa faces an eminent challenge of food safety and security in the coming years. The World Food Programme (WFP) of the United Nations (UN) estimates that 20% of Africa's population of 1.2 billion people face the highest level of undernourishment in the world, likely to worsen due to COVID-19 pandemic that has brought the entire world to its knees. Factors such as insecurity and conflict, poverty, climate change and population growth have been identified as critical contributors to the food security challenges on the continent. Biotechnological research on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) provides a range of opportunities (such as increased crop yields, resistance to pests and diseases, enhanced nutrient composition and food quality) in addressing the hunger, malnutrition and food security issues on the continent. However, the acceptance and adoption of GMOs on the continent has been remarkably slow, perhaps due to contrasting views about the benefits and safety concerns associated with them. With the reality of food insecurity and the booming population in Africa, there is an eminent need for a more pragmatic position to this debate. The present review presents an overview of the current situation of food safety and security and attempts to reconcile major viewpoints on GMOs research considering the current food safety and security crisis in the African continent.
展望 2020 年后，非洲在未来几年将面临严峻的食品安全和保障挑战。联合国世界粮食计划署（WFP）估计，非洲 12 亿人口中有 20%面临着世界上最高水平的营养不良，由于新冠疫情大流行，情况可能会恶化，这场疫情使全球都陷入困境。不安全和冲突、贫困、气候变化和人口增长等因素已被确定为非洲大陆粮食安全挑战的关键因素。转基因生物（GMO）的生物技术研究为解决该大陆的饥饿、营养不良和粮食安全问题提供了一系列机会（如增加作物产量、抗病虫害、提高营养成分和食品质量）。然而，非洲对 GMO 的接受和采用速度却非常缓慢，这或许是由于人们对其好处和安全问题存在不同看法。由于非洲面临着粮食不安全和人口增长的现实，因此迫切需要对这场辩论采取更务实的立场。本综述概述了当前的食品安全和保障状况，并试图在考虑到非洲大陆当前的食品安全和保障危机的情况下，调和关于 GMO 研究的主要观点。
