FDA Advisory No. 2013-014
On September 5, 2002, the DOH issued a Press Statement on the Safety
of the Genetically Modified (GM) Food
(http://www.doh.gov.ph/press/September052002.html). The FDA hereby
reiterates that all GM food products derived from modern biotechnology
that are currently on the market have passed food safety assessment
based on the UN FAO/WHO CODEX Alimentarius Risk Analysis of Food Derived
form Modern Biotechnology (CAC/GL 44-2003) and Guidelines for the
Conduct of Food Safety Assessment of Foods Derived from Recombinant-DNA
Plants (CAC/GL45-2003). All food derived from GM crops in the market
have met international food safety standards and are as safe as and as
nutritious as the food derived from conventional crops for direct use as
food, feeds and for processing.
Statistics shows that in 2012, 17.3M farmers in 28 countries planted
170.3M hectares of farm lands to GM crops, which is 6% or 10.3M hectares
more than in 2011. Data also showed that in 2012, 82% of total land
area planted with cotton was planted to GM cotton. The global adoption
rate for GM soya, GM corn and GM canola, was 75%, 32% and 26%,
respectively, in 2012. (Clive James, Global Status of Commercialized
Biotech/GM Crops: 2012).
Different GM crops that are propagated or are undergoing limited or
multi-location field trial possess certain traits, like herbicide
resistance, pest resistance, improved disease resistance, drought
resistance, or biofortified with Pro-vitamin A, and have certain genes
integrated in the genome. This means that the safety of these specific
GM crops should be assessed on a case-by-case basis, following the CODEX
Alimentarius guidelines for determining their safety, including
toxicity, allergenicity and nutritional quality, or assessment of any
nutritional claim.
It is not possible to make general statements on the safety of all GM
foods. As the National Competent Authority, the FDA supports the
robust science-based evaluation system of CODEX Alimentarius Commission
using data and information from field trials as well as laboratory
tests. For processed food, the main focus of food safety review is on
the objective characteristics of the product and on any health or
nutritional claims. The focus of evaluation is on the food product and
not on the technology used to produce the product.
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