Since two decades ago, when the first GM crops were introduced, genetically modified food is always a disputable topic among the scientists and the public. Let me lead you a tour about genetically modified food in this cross cultural city, Hong Kong. On this tour, I will search some genetically modified food also some Non GM food such as Organic food, and explore the attitude of people think about the GM food and the cultural and educational effect on people’s mind. Therefore, this tour should be a interest of local Hong Kong people and educationist also some food tourist.
Currently, the development of GM crop varieties has risen a wide range of new legal, ethical and economic questions in agriculture. There is a growing body of literature reflecting the socio-economic and environmental impacts of GM crops which aims to criticize their value for farming systems. While organic crops are promoted as environmentally-friendly products in developed countries, they have provoked great controversy in developing countries facing food security and a low agricultural productivity.
Labels play a significant role in facilitating consumer choice in the case of credence goods. These are goods for that consumers cannot determine, through search nor experience, whether a product contains an attribute or quality they prefer, such as the use of GM technology. Labels convey to consumers a desired or undesired attribute. Through this tour, label is an important form to be searched and found.
The tour
This tour is mainly taking places in the Central District, but start with a supermarket called city’ super.
Site 1: City’ super
It takes 26 walking from the hotel to the City’ super, this market is in the IFC (International Finance Center) building.
City’ super is a supermarket which is established in 1996, City’ super group opened its first store in Times Square, in the prestigious Causeway Bay shopping hub with the mission of creating Hong Kong’ first-of-its-kind “Mega Lifestyle Specialty Store” concept. It offers a premium selection of products from around the world for busy urban professionals who pursue a premium quality of life.
Look around the food they sell and find genetically modified food or the food which labels Non-GM food. And talk with the customers and salesperson about what kind of food they think is safe and reliable to eat, and ask them whether they will buy the genetically modified food.
Unfortunately, there is no GM food in the store, the salesman tell me they don’t know what is the genetically modified food, and they just know about what is the organic food.
Site 2: Gateway supermarket
Walking about 16 minutes to the Gateway supermarket, it kind of difficult to find this supermarket, it is on the second floor and it is easy to miss if you are not carefully.
Gateway is a Family-owned American grocery supermarket that has been proudly serving Hong Kong for over 20 years. In gateway supermarket, there is a large selection of healthy organic groceries from the United States. The products are held to the highest standard of organic testing to earn the coveted USDA stamp of approval.
Even in this supermarket which mostly sell the products directly from the US, it is also hard to find the genetically modified food but it is easy to see the organic food anywhere.
Site 3: Just Green organic convenience store
Next site is not so far away from the Gateway supermarket, walk along the Des Voeux Road central, and turn right at the Pedder street and walk along the destination will be on the right.
Just Green represents Hong Kong’s largest chain of healthy lifestyle, organic convenience stores. It offers a curated selection of over 10000 healthy, natural and organic foods, beverages, snacks and supplements for special dietary needs, home products. The philosophy is offer great products, be authentic, and make people happy. Environment is their most important considerations, they source products that minimize the environmental impact of both production and distribution.
Site 4: Grassroots Pantry
Leaving the Just Green shop, continue the tour to the Grassroots Pantry, which is a organic food restaurant.
The restaurant’s mission is to create “food for healing”; the philosophy behind many of the things that take place here seems to be in line with the internationally accepted guiding principles of organic agriculture that emphasize fairness, caring, health and ecology. The chef owner Peggy Chan is passionate about organic plant-based foods and likes ancient grain varieties such as Ethiopian tea. This is due to her desire to support smallholder farmers in developing countries whose activities are still “polluted” by the patented seeds of industrial agribusiness – providing an intriguing 21st century anti-corporate rival with the original organic movement that rejected the industrialization of agrarian parallel.
Think about what is really organic and what is really natural while you eating the food called healthy and safe organic food.
Site 5: The organic shop
The organic shop is on 93-103 Wing Lok street in Sheung Wan, from the organic restaurant, walk along the Hollywood Road and turn left onto Queen’s Road the walk back to the Des Voeux Road West, the shop is on the left.
The organic shop is a brand for delicious organic foods and beverages from Australia. All the Organic shop ‘s organic foods and beverages are produced using organic farming methods, which contribute to a healthier environment and exclude the use of synthetic pesticides, chemical fertilizers or genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
Site 6: The university of Hong Kong
The last site is the University of Hong Kong, a friend of mine who is a master student in Hong Kong University which study the Finance and Economics. She introduced her classmate to me, who is a local Hong Kong people.
When I ask her about why the supermarkets in Hong Kong don’t have any genetically modified food, she said that in their education, they don’t learn about what is GM food, they don’t have the concept of GM organisms. And the attitude to food security is what they eat is clean and no harm to the body, people in Hong Kong like organic food especially the higher class people for this kind of food is a little bit expensive. Some people who have lower salary they don’t choose the organic food, they believe the foods sold in supermarket is absolutely safe. The food insecurity issues are almost due to the pesticides and chemicals, so it they have choice, they will choose the organic food but not GM food.