Current activities
FAO Technical Consultation on Low Levels of GM crops in international food and feed trade (20-21 March 2014): Several countries have requested FAO to facilitate international dialogue on the issue of trade disruptions involving low levels of GM crops in international food and feed trade. Such an initial dialogue would review the extent and pattern of trade disruptions based on reporting from member countries and would explore likely trends. The Technical Consultation aims at facilitating a common understanding of the issue. The meeting is not intended to reach policy agreements. [read more]
FAO GM Foods Platform (2013): A new international Platform has been developed to share information on safety assessment of foods derived from recombinant-DNA plants authorized in accordance with the Codex Plant Guideline, entitled “Guideline for the conduct of food safety assessment of foods derived from recombinant-DNA plants (CAC/GL 45-2003, annex III adopted in 2008) ". This Platform also facilitates the effective utilization of food safety assessment in situations of Low Level Presence (LLP) of r-DNA plant materials in food. Please note that FAO GM Foods Platform has been officially launched in July 2013 and accessible at http://fao.org/gm-platform. The database will gradually expand as Member countries upload their information over the coming weeks and months. The final report of the launching event (side event to the 36th Codex Alimentarius Commission) is available in English [ download ]. In March 2014, Food Safety at FAO Highlight was published on the topic of FAO GM Foods Platform and it is available in English [ download ].
General information
La aplicación de la biotecnología moderna a los alimentos y su producción (alimentos modificados genéticamente o MG) ofrece nuevas oportunidades y beneficios potenciales, además de plantear dificultades a la hora de garantizar la protección del consumidor. Las novedades recientes han despertado preocupación, tanto real como intuida, acerca de la inocuidad de estas tecnologías.
Los Estados Miembros, especialmente los países en desarrollo, esperan de la FAO un asesoramiento fundamentado y objetivo sobre la inocuidad de los alimentos MG, y el Servicio de Calidad de los Alimentos y Normas Alimentarias (AGNS), en colaboración con órganos internacionales como el Codex, ha intervenido en una amplia variedad de cuestiones relacionadas con la biotecnología, en particular:
- Sistemas de evaluación de la inocuidad y del riesgo con una base científica para determinar objetivamente las ventajas y los riesgos de los alimentos MG
- Recomendaciones para el etiquetado de los alimentos obtenidos por medios biotecnológicos
- Evaluación de los aspectos nutricionales de los alimentos obtenidos por medios biotecnológicos modernos
- Detección de proteínas y/o ADN en los alimentos MG
In 1999 the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC), En 1999 la Comisión del Codex Alimentarius (CCA) creó un Grupo de Acción Intergubernamental Especial sobre Alimentos Obtenidos por Medios Biotecnológicos, para que examinara las repercusiones sanitarias y nutricionales de estos alimentos. Tiene como cometido la elaboración de normas, directrices o recomendaciones, según proceda, para los alimentos obtenidos por medios biotecnológicos o las características introducidas en los alimentos mediante biotecnología. El Grupo fue abolido por la sesión 31° de la Comisión (2008).
La FAO y la OMS proporcionaron la base científica para la labor del Grupo de Acción mediante una serie de consultas de expertos científicos sobre la inocuidad y los aspectos nutricionales de los alimentos MG. Si bien estas consultas de expertos abordan cuestiones estrechamente relacionadas con el trabajo del Grupo de Acción, fueron completamente independientes del proceso de negociación intergubernamental y se ocuparon del tema desde una perspectiva puramente científica.
FAO/WHO Expert Consultations
FAO and WHO have embarked on an initiative to organize a series of scientific expert Consultations to provide scientific and technical advice to their Member States. The scientific advice derived from the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Consultations can be used by the Member States of FAO and WHO directly. It also serves as the scientific foundation for the work of the Codex Alimentarius Commission in their deliberation on risk analysis principles and safety assessment guidelines for foods derived from biotechnology.
- FAO/WHO Expert Consultation on the Safety Assessment of Foods Derived from Recombinant-DNA Animals, 26 February - 2 March 2007, Geneva [full report: EN | SP | FR ]
- Safety assessment of foods derived from genetically modified animals, including fish, a joint FAO/WHO expert consultation on food derived from biotechnology, Rome, Italy, 17 - 21 November 2003 [ exective summary (EN) | full report (EN) ]
- Safety assessment of foods derived from genetically modified microorganisms, a joint FAO/WHO expert consultation on foods derived from biotechnology, Geneva, Switzerland, 24 to 28 September 2001 [ full report (EN)]
- Allergenicity of genetically modified foods, a joint FAO/WHO consultation on foods derived from biotechnology, Rome, Italy, 22-25 January 2001 [ full report (EN) ]
- Safety aspects of genetically modified foods of plant origin, a joint FAO/WHO consultation on foods derived from biotechnology, Geneva, Switzerland 29 May - 2 June 2000 [full report: EN | SP | FR ]
