The great food gamble - New GM report questions safety claims21 June 2001
The way GM foods are approved is not sufficient to protect human or animal health, concludes a new report from Friends of the Earth. The great food gamble, published today, shows that current procedures are unlikely to pick up the unexpected health effects GM foods may create, such as toxins or allergens. This may be even more of a worry in future GM foods, which are likely to use more complicated modifications.
In particular, the report highlights:
The challenges of GM food
Imprecise and blunt methods are used to insert new genes, contrasting with the tight and precise control of native genes. Unexplained alterations in the composition of GM crops have already been observed for GM foods on the market.
Substantial equivalence
This concept is used as a baseline for GM safety tests. If the manufacturer can show that the GM food is similar to conventional food then it does not need to carry out proper safety testing. However a number of foods that show significant differences in composition have unexplainably been accepted as 'substantially equivalent'. There are many different definitions of equivalence around the world and foods that have been approved in the US, for example, have been rejected or severely criticised by the EU.
Lack of scientific scrutiny
Very few of the safety studies carried out by biotech companies have been published and made available for scientific scrutiny. In addition some companies refuse to put key safety data into the public domain whilst publically stating that their products have gone through "extensive safety trials."
Higher risks in developing countries
Many GM foods show changes in composition to their conventional counterparts. The impacts of this on developing countries where sometimes a single food makes up a substantial part of the diet is a major concern. For example maize provides up to 59 per cent of the daily protein for people in Central America. Richer people eat a more varied diet.
The US's GM guinea pigs
Until May last year there was no statutory oversight for GM crops in the US, only a voluntary consultation procedure. Over 45 foods are thought to be on the market with no monitoring or labelling. Any attempts to monitor for health effects at this stage would be extremely difficult if not impossible.
Adrian Bebb, GM Food Campaigner for Friends of the Earth, said: "This report sounds the alarm bell for GM food safety. There is a large difference between our ability to create GM crops and foods, and our ability to test whether they are safe to eat. If there was ever a case for a freeze on GM foods then it would be now.
With a new food ministry in the UK there is a real opportunity for the Government to rethink it's previous enthusiasm for GM foods and to put human safety before the profit margins of the biotech companies."
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