BEIJING, May 8 (Reuters) - China has approved the safety

of gene-edited wheat for the first time as Beijing cautiously

moves forward with commercial growing of genetically modified

food crops.

China has in the past year ramped up approvals of

genetically modified (GM) corn and soybean seeds that are

higher-yielding and resistant to insects and herbicide to secure

its food security, but the uptake remains slow and cautious due

to concerns about the impact to health and ecology.

Unlike genetic modification, which introduces foreign genes

into a plant, gene editing alters existing genes to change or

improve its performance and is viewed by some scientists as less

risky than genetically modifying them.

China mostly imports GM crops such as corn and soybeans for

animal feed and grows non-GM varieties for food consumption.

Many Chinese consumers remain concerned about the safety of GM

food crops.

The approval for the gene-edited disease-resistant wheat is

seen as a milestone, as the ingredient - used to make pasta,

noodles and bread - is predominantly grown in China for food

consumption. China is the world's largest wheat producer and

consumer.

"It is a big step, we can see the light for China to open up

approvals for other food crops," said a seed industry executive.

Beijing is also expected to pass new rules this year for the

labelling of genetically modified crops used in food products,

state media reported in March.

The agriculture ministry on Wednesday also approved a new

variety of genetically modified corn with herbicide and

insect-resistant traits, as well as one gene-edited corn variety

that is higher yielding.

The GM corn approval includes a variety by Origin Agritech ( SEED )

.

The safety certificates have been approved for five years

from May 5, according to a document published by the Ministry of

Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

The world's biggest buyer of soybeans and corn aims to raise

domestic production through higher yielding seeds and cut its

grains imports of more than 100 million metric tons a year.