IPB Food Expert: Food Products From Efficient And Safe Genetic Engineering, Don't Get Caught In Sesat Information

Illustration - Genetically engineered soybeans (GMO). BETWEEN/HO-Forum Tempe Indonesia

JAKARTA - Professor of Food Safety at the Bogor Agricultural Institute (IPB), Ahmad Sulaeman, emphasized that food from genetic engineering (GMO) such as processed soybeans for tempeh has an advantage in resilience to food challenges and remains safe to consume.

"Bibits from genetic engineering are designed to have advantages over conventional seeds, because food production is faster than population growth, especially with climate change and pest attacks," Ahmad said in his statement, quoted from Antara, Tuesday, July 15.

Citing data from the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Ahmad explained that GMO is an organism whose genetic material has been modified with modern techniques to increase crop yields, pest resistance, and production efficiency.

According to him, GMO-based foods are actually more pesticide and herbiside-efficient, making them more economically and environmentally friendly.

However, Ahmad admits that there are still many concerns in the community regarding the possible health side effects of GMO food, including issues that say the tempe GMO can cause cancer.

"There is no strong clinical or scientific evidence that genetic engineering products cause cancer," he said. He added that Indonesians have been consuming GMO-based products such as bread, instant noodles, and tofu for decades.

The World Health Organization (WHO) itself stated that GMO food circulating in the international market has gone through a safety evaluation and is declared not at risk to human health.

Ahmad, who is also the General Chair of the Association of Indonesian Nutrition and Food Experts (PERGIZI PANGAN), emphasized the importance of appropriate education regarding soybean-based food so that people are not trapped in misleading information.

"Don't let our society be treated with misinformation. There are more than 150 thousand tempe craftsmen who can be affected by misinformation," he said.

Similarly, the Head of the Indonesian Tempe Forum (FTI) Hardinsyah said that the use of GMO soybeans must also be balanced with an increase in local soybean production.

According to BPS data, Indonesia's soybean imports in 2024 reached 2.67 million tons, an increase of 17.68 percent, while domestic production was only 558,600 tons and continued to decline.

The use of local soybeans and GMO is expected to support government priority programs such as free nutritious food (MBG), especially in fulfilling protein intake by 30 percent of daily needs.