Allergenicity is one of the most frequently asked questions in connection with the safety of genetically modified foods. It was therefore necessary to establish a reliable methodology to assess the allergenicity of new foods produced by the recombinant DNA technique.

This consultation reviewed the decision tree originally developed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) for the evaluation of the allergenicity of genetically modified foods and proposed a revised decision tree, taking into account developments and advances in the field.

The consultation agreed that the safety assessment of foods derived from biotechnology requires an integrated and stepwise, case-by-case approach, and that this method also be applied to the evaluation of the allergenicity of food derived from biotechnology. Additionally, the consultation emphasized that all foods derived from biotechnology must be assessed for allergenic potential.

See also

Biotechnology (GM food) > Safety assessment of GM food > Toxicological information

Evaluation of allergenicity of genetically modified foods - Final report (2001)
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AGNS - Food safety expert roster