Biotechnology (GM food)
The application of modern biotechnology to food and food production (GM food)
presents new opportunities and potential benefits, as well as challenges in
ensuring consumer protection. Recent developments have posed concerns, both
real and perceived, about the safety of these technologies.
Member Countries, especially developing ones, look to FAO to provide sound
and unbiased advice on the safety of GM food, and AGNS, in collaboration with
international bodies such as Codex, has been involved in a wide range of biotechnology
related issues, including:
- Science-based safety evaluation and risk assessment systems
to objectively determine the benefits and risks of GM food
- Recommendations
for the labelling of foods obtained through biotechnology
- Assessing
nutritional aspects of food derived from modern biotechnology;
- Detection
of protein and/or DNA in GM food
In 1999 the Codex
Alimentarius Commission (CAC), established an Ad hoc Intergovernmental
Task Force on Foods Derived from Biotechnology to consider the health and
nutritional implications of such food. It is tasked with developing standards,
guidelines or recommendations, as appropriate, for foods derived from biotechnology
or traits introduced into foods by biotechnology. The Task Force was dissolved by the 31st Session of the Commission (2008).
The scientific basis for the work of Task Force was provided by
FAO and WHO through a series of scientific expert consultations on the safety
and nutritional aspects of GM food. These expert consultations, while addressing
issues which are closely related to the work of the Task Force, were completely
independent from the inter-governmental negotiation process, and treated the
subject from a purely scientific perspective. |
Biotechnology (GM food)
789kb]