| SAFETY OF GM FOODS Views of WHO Safety Assessment of GM Foods Myths and Facts Views of WHO World Health Organization (WHO) has pointed out that GM foods currently
available on the international market have passed risk assessments and
are not likely to present risks for human health. In addition, no effects
on human health have been shown as a result of the consumption of such
foods by the general population in the countries where they have been
approved. Safety Assessment of GM Foods Notwithstanding the above, since the use of modern biotechnology in food
is a recent development, as a safety measure, all GM foods are subjected
to rigorous safety assessments by the industry and regulatory agencies
of the places of origin before they are put into the market.
For example, GM foods are regulated by two authorities in Canada : The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Health Canada (HC). They are responsible for safety and environmental impact assessments of GM foods. Only when the conditions laid down by these two agencies are fully satisfied, will the GM foods be approved to release into the market.
The assessments, including
that performed by the manufacturers, may take several years to complete
and are comprehensive.
The safety assessments are based on the principle of "substantial
equivalence" which was endorsed by WHO/FAO and the Organisation for
Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The principle of substantial
equivalence suggests that if a new food or component is found to be substantially
equivalent to an existing food or component, the food or component is
considered to be as safe as its conventional counterpart. Key considerations
include–
- Characteristics of the donor and host organisms
- Composition
- Dietary intake
- Nutritional data
- Toxicological data
- Allergenic properties
Where differences are identified, additional assessments and animal studies
will be carried out. To date, all GM foods available in the market have
been proved as fit for human consumption. Myths and Facts
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| Did L-tryptophan from GM source
cause severe illnesses, the Eosinophilia Myalgia Syndrome (EMS), and
even deaths? |
In 1989, there had been an
outbreak of the disease Eosinophilia Myalgia Syndrome (EMS) affecting
over 1500 people with at least 37 deaths in the USA. EMS is characterized
by flu-like symptoms, intense muscle pain and skin inflammation and
even memory disturbances. The cause of this outbreak was linked to
certain batches of a dietary supplement, L-tryptophan (an essential
amino acid), manufactured in Japan. Some people believed that the
use of GM bacterium for the production of L-tryptophan was the main
cause. |
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| It has been reported
that the manufacturer had changed the production procedures by reducing
amount of activated carbon used in a purification step. The development
of EMS was, in fact, found to be linked with the presence of contaminants,
which was probably introduced by the poor purification step, rather
than the GM bacterium itself. |
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| Is milk from cows
treated with bovine somatotropin (BST) from GM bacteria unsafe for
human consumption? |
Bovine somatotropin (BST)
is a growth hormone produced naturally in cows. Because of its stimulating
effect on milk-production, BST has been widely produced from GM bacteria
for increasing milk production in animal husbandry in the USA. The
rBST (BST from GM source) residue in milk, was believed to have health
implication in both human and animals. Therefore, it was banned in
some countries. |
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| There is not enough
scientific evidence to show that BST from either natural or GM source
may pose significant risk to human. However, when cows were injected
with BST from either natural or GM source, they may suffer from mastitis,
infertility or lameness. Taking animal welfare into consideration,
some countries, such as Canada, do not allow the use of BST. Therefore,
the decision to use or not to use BST is not related to genetic modification. |
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| Would the consumption of GM
potatoes affect growth and immune system? |
In 1998, a preliminary research
conducted by Dr. Pusztai at Rowett Research Institute of the United
Kingdom. showed that "feeding GM potatoes to rats would affect
their growth and the immune system". Hence the consumption of
GM food may affect our immune system. |
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| The results have
been criticised by several scientific authorities including the Royal
Society of the United Kingdom. They commented that the study design
had flaws and its conclusions were based on inadequate data. Hence
the conclusions were unjustifiable. The Royal Society also commented
that general conclusions about the safety of GM foods could not be
drawn based on individual studies on GM foods. |
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| Would genetic
modification introduce allergens to foods? |
It has been reported that
some of the GM soya bean products available in the market may contain
allergens from Brazil nuts. |
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| Genes from Brazil
nut were transferred to soya bean so as to increase its methionine
(an essential amino acid) content. When the soya bean was found to
contain an allergen from Brazil nuts, this product was immediately
withdrawn from further development and was never released onto the
market. In fact, all GM foods have been subject to stringent safety
assessment before they are available in the market. It is possible
to develop foods containing toxins or allergens by both traditional
breeding and genetic engineering. However, the advantage of genetic
engineering is that the gene of interest can be well defined and introduced
into organisms more precisely. Hence, the possibility of developing
a food with toxins and allergens can be better recognised when compared
with conventional breeding. |
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