Safety Assessment of Genetically Modified (GM) Foods

A genetically modified organism (GMO) is any living organism that has been manipulated at the level of its genome in a way that would not happen in nature. In theory, the DNA of any living organism can be manipulated, though most experience has been obtained through the genetic engineering of microorganisms (bacteria and viruses) and plants. However, a number of GM fish and GM animals have been developed and are awaiting authorisation for commercialisation. While microorganisms have been genetically manipulated to produce medicines, pharmaceuticals and food ingredients for some time, consumer opposition to GMOs became more widespread when crop plants were engineered to improve aspects of agricultural food production. While the reasons for this bias are multi-factorial, the food industry and regulators alike acknowledge the negative public perception and are endeavouring to improve the quality and transparency of food safety assessments. Such is the sensitivity to public perception that commercialisation of many modern biotechnology innovations in some parts of the world, including GM salmon, GM wheat and terminator technology, have been put on hold due to negative public opinion. Science is an ever-evolving discipline and while the methods and means to produce new foods are being constantly renewed, so too must the tools used to assess the safety of new foods. The science that gave us modern biotechnology and GM food has also yielded technology that allows us to examine the safety of food at the molecular level. This new technology provides an option to reduce or possibly replace many of the animal studies routinely used in the safety assessment of GM foods where only minor differences from the parent plant are identified. An example of such a new methodology is toxigenomics, the combination of toxicology and genomics that allows the mapping of gene expression using microchip technology. Regardless of the methodology used to assess the safety of a food, a “completely safe” evaluation is not possible as no food is risk-free. This view is particularly salient given what we now know about the toxins, allergens and even carcinogens naturally present in many staple foods. In line with this, GM foods that are allowed on the EU market are classed Safety Assessment of Genetically Modified (GM) Foods