VPB 321: Animal Biotechnology (2+1)

FOOD SAFETY

• The main question posed about the safety of food produced through animal biotechnology for human consumption is, “Is it safe to eat?” National Academies of Science (NAS) report listed three specific food concerns: allergens, bioactivity and the toxicity of unintended expression products.
• The potential for new allergens to be expressed in the process of creating foods from genetically modified animals is a real and valid concern, because the process introduces new proteins. While food allergens are not a new issue, the difficulty comes in how to anticipate these adequately, because they only can be detected once a person is exposed and experiences a reaction.
• Another food safety issue, bioactivity, asks, “Will putting a functional protein like a growth hormone in an animal affect the person who consumes food from that animal?”
• Finally, concern exists about the toxicity of unintended expression products in the animal biotechnology process. While the risk is considered low, there is no data available. The NAS report stated it still needs be proven that the nutritional profile does not change in these foods and that no unintended and potentially harmful expression products appear.