Are there risks associated with the possible introduction of new toxins and allergens in GM foods?
Typically the main outcome of genetic modification is the expression of a new protein or proteins in the organism. These new proteins may subsequently be present in derived food products. While a large and diverse range of proteins are ingested as part of the normal human diet without any adverse effects, a small number have the potential to impair health, e.g. because they are allergens or may have toxic or anti-nutritional effects. As a consequence, one of the main parts of the safety assessment of any GM food is a consideration of the potential toxicity and allergenicity of any new proteins introduced into the food. Assessment of potential toxicity and allergenicity is done using a weight of evidence approach, which means a variety of evidence, drawn from a number of different studies, is used to reach an overall conclusion.
