Are biotech crops as nutritious and safe as their counterparts produced through conventional means?
Yes. Regulatory agencies require companies to assess each biotech crop for substantial equivalence to its conventional counterpart before the products are marketed. Equivalency in crop nutrition and safety is assessed biochemically by evaluating key groups of components such as essential vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, carbohydrates and amino acids. In addition, anti-nutrients, endogenous toxicants and known and potential allergens and other physiologically active substances are evaluated. These tests are widely accepted and have demonstrated that the components of a product developed through biotechnology are similar, or equivalent to, its conventional counterpart.
Related Questions
- Biotech has been around for 20 years. Why hasn’t it produced any nitrogen efficient crops yet, and what are its prospects for the future?
- Are biotech crops as nutritious and safe as their counterparts produced through conventional means?
- How do biotech crops compare nutritionally with conventional crops?
