Recommendations from the workshop on Comparative Approaches to Safety Assessment of GM Plant Materials: A road toward harmonized criteria?

Abstract

An international meeting of genetically modified (GM) food safety assessors from the main importing and exporting countries from Asia and the Americas was held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, between June 26(th) and 28(th), 2013. Participants shared their evaluation approaches, identified similarities and challenges, and used their experience to propose areas for future work. Recommendations for improving risk assessment procedures and avenues for future collaboration were also discussed. The deliberations of the meeting were also supported by a survey of participants which canvassed risk assessment approaches across the regions from which participants came. This project was initiated by Argentine Agri-Food Health and Quality National Service (SENASA, Ministry of Agriculture, Argentina), with the support of the International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) and other partner institutions. The importance of making all possible efforts toward more integrated and harmonized regulatory oversight for GM organisms (GMOs) was strongly emphasized. This exercise showed that such harmonization is a feasible goal that would contribute to sustain a fluid trade of commodities and ultimately enhance food security. Before this can be achieved, key issues identified in this meeting will have to be addressed in the near future to enable regulatory collaboration or joint work. The authors propose that the recommendations coming out of the meeting should be used as a basis for continuing work, follow up discussions and concrete actions.

Keywords: GLP, good laboratory practices; GM, genetically modified; GMOs, genetically modified organisms; HESI, ILSI's Health and Environmental Sciences Institute; IFBiC, ILSI's International Food Biotechnology Committee; ILSI, International Life Sciences Institute; OECD, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development; SENASA, Agri-Food Health and Quality National Service (Servicio Nacional de Sanidad y Calidad Agroalimentaria of Argentina); biotechnology; compositional analysis; food safety; genetically modified organisms; protein safety; regulatory harmonization; risk assessment; stacked traits; transgenic crops; whole food testing.

Figure 1.

Major GM exporting and importing countries from the Americas and Asia met in Buenos Aires in June 2013.

Figure 2.

Interagency collaborations: Models with increasing levels of cooperation.

Figure 3.

Additional messages and advice to specific sectors involved in GMO development and regulation.