§ Mr. KeyTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment her Department has made of whether there is a need to test the safety of GM food in addition to the requirements of Regulation 258/97/EC. [121293]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonI have been asked to reply.
In June 2000, the Food Standards Agency board reviewed the current safety assessment procedures employed by the UK Competent Authority under Regulation 258/97/EEC in the safety testing of genetically modified foods. The board was satisfied that the current safety assessment procedures are sufficiently robust and rigorous to ensure that approved GM foods are as safe to eat as their non-GM counterparts.
§ Mr. KeyTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of(a) trials and (b) research (i) in the UK, (ii) in the USA and (iii) elsewhere on the health and biochemical effects of consuming GM foods. [121294]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonI have been asked to reply.
The available scientific evidence does not support the view that the consumption of the genetically modified foods approved to date would lead to any harmful effects.
Independent scientific experts carry out the approval of all GM foods on a case-by-case basis. The Food Standards Agency board, in its consideration of the safety assessment procedure, concluded that that the current safety assessment procedures are sufficiently robust and rigorous to ensure that approved GM foods are as safe to eat as their non-GM counterparts.
§ Mr. KeyTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what evidence she has collated that consuming GM food is(a) safe and (b) unsafe; and if she will make a statement. [121295]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonI have been asked to reply.
The available scientific evidence does not support the view that the consumption of the genetically modified foods approved to date would lead to any harmful effects. The safety is assured using procedures developed by the World Health Organisation.