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Codex guidelines for GM foods include the analysis of unintended effects

Nature Biotechnology volume 21, pages 739–741 (2003)Cite this article

In response to the increased delivery of genetically modified (GM) foods to international markets, the Ad Hoc Intergovernmental Task Force on Food Derived from Biotechnology of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Rome) agreed in March on principles for the human health risk analysis of GM foods1. These principles dictate a case-by-case premarket assessment that includes an evaluation of both direct and unintended effects. They state that safety assessment of GM foods needs to investigate direct health effects (toxicity), tendency to provoke allergic reactions (allergenicity), specific components thought to have nutritional or toxic properties, the stability of the inserted gene, nutritional effects associated with genetic modification and any unintended effects that could result from the gene insertion. Of particular note, the task force broadens risk assessment to encompass not only health-related effects of the food itself, but also the indirect effects of food on human health (e.g., potential health risks derived from outcrossing).

Unintended effects of the product

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  1. The author is at the University of Vienna and the World Health Organization FOS Program for Food Safety, Geneva, Switzerland

    Alexander G Haslberger

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Haslberger, A. Codex guidelines for GM foods include the analysis of unintended effects. Nat Biotechnol 21, 739–741 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt0703-739

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