§ Mr. BakerTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will set out the terms of reference for the trials on patients in a Newcastle hospital involving genetically modified food. [85741]
§ Mr. RookerAny potential health risks that could arise as a result of the transfer of transgenes from genetically modified (GM) foods to human gut flora and gut cells are considered by the Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes (ACNFP) as part of its rigorous safety assessment of such products. All the GM foods which have been approved for use in the UK to date have been assessed as safe for human consumption.
The project in question is being funded to provide further background data to quantify the very low probability of such transfer occurring, by examining some model systems. The majority of the work involves looking at in vitro systems for possible transfer of genes from GM micro-organisms to human gut flora and to isolated gut cells. It will also investigate the survival of GM material derived from plants in the human small intestine, firstly by looking at a model, in vitro, system which mimics the conditions in the small intestine. This will then be followed up by human volunteer studies to evaluate the applicability of the model to the in vivo situation.
The terms of reference of this work require the contractor to warrant that human volunteer studies carried out as part of the contract have obtained written approval from an ethics committee which has been properly constituted in accordance with all published guidelines, in particular those of the Department of Health.