GM Food Safe Yet Again
A new GAO report to Congress once again finds that activist claims that plant biotechnology is unsafe are unfounded:
GM foods pose the same types of inherent risks to human health as
conventional foods: they can contain allergens, toxins, and compounds
known as antinutrients, which inhibit the absorption of nutrients. Before
marketing a GM food, company scientists evaluate these risks?even
though they are not routinely evaluated in conventional foods?to
determine if the foods pose any heightened risks. While some GM foods
have contained allergens, toxins, and antinutrients, the levels have been
comparable to those foods? conventional counterparts. In evaluating GM
foods, scientists perform a regimen of tests. Biotechnology experts we contacted agree that this regimen of tests is adequate in assessing the
safety of GM foods. While some consumer groups, as well as some
scientists from the European Union, have questioned the ethical or
cultural appropriateness of genetically modifying foods, experts whom we
contacted from these organizations also believe the tests are adequate for
assessing the safety of these foods.
