Monday, July 23, 2007

GM Crop Safety Assessment Procedures

GM crops safety assessments are similar to the safety assessments of new drugs.
Individual companies are required to perform various tests on human, animals and environmental aspects, whereas government bodies and scientists will review their procedures and findings, followed by an evaluation of the process.

Procedures:

1. The Biotechnology Company has to complete the initial phase of research and development discovery. These researches should contain literature, scientific and historical research on the gene itself.

2. Researchers and scientists have to conduct extensive researches and produce evidence to prove that proteins generated by the gene do not pose any threat to human, animals and the environment. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will oversee the entire discovery stage.

3. The next stage involves field testing of the crop. This stage not only enables company to decide which variety of GM crop produces the best results and which are most marketable, it also tests if GM crop is safe for human, animals and the environment. The testing of Human, Animal and Agricultural safety is oversee by the US Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS)

4. The biotechnology company is then required to submit results and data from the field tests to APHIS for evaluation.

5. Finally, if APHIS finds no negative potential impacts that affects human, animals or environment, an environmental assessment statement ‘Non Regulated Status’ will be labeled for the GM product. This allows GM crop to marketed, sold and produce in the same manner as non GM crop.

6. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will also evaluate the testing of biotech-crops at the final stage with special herbicides, that are does not bring harm to human food or animal feed.

References:
http://www.biotech.foodpolicyinstitute.org/overview.html