Safety assessment of biotech plant food

Toxicological changes:
(a) the presence or increased content of natural toxicants;

(b) the presence of new expressed toxic materials resulting from genetic modifications (e.g., biopesticides);

(c) development of allergenicity

(d) accumulation of toxicants or-microbial contaminants derivedfrom the environment;

(e) changes in the availability of toxins as a result of processing.

Nutritional changes include:
(a) modification of major nutrients micronutrients or antinutrients in the food;

(b) changes in the bioavailability of macro- and/or micronutrients;

(c) changes in nutritional components as a result of processing.

The components of the safety assessment include:
(a) characterization of the host, donor/vector and modified organisms;
(b) characterization of the precision of the process and possibility of pleiotropic or secondary effects;
(c) characterization of novel expressed material ;
(d) characterization of the modified food for wholesomeness.

Taken from: Strategies for assessing the safety of foods produced by biotechnology . WHO,Geneva 1991