Genetically modified food and health – a cause for concern?

Journal or Publishing Institution: Irish Medical Journal

Study: https://web.archive.org/web/20180718153658/https://library.wur.nl/WebQuery/file/cogem/cogem_t485f9660_001.pdf

Author(s): Cullen, E.

Article Type: Journal Publication

Record ID: 429

Introduction: Foods containing genetically modified (GM) ingredients are on sale in Irish shops. In a survey of soya based foods undertaken by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland in 2002, over a half of the products tested contained genetically modified ingredients. Such products included baby foods and soya desserts. This soya bean contains a foreign gene from a common soil bacterium linked to cauliflower mosaic virus and petunia flower control elements. Foods containing GM ingredients may not be immediately apparent to the consumer, because if the GM ingredients constitute less than 1% of the product, there is no requirement for such labelling. It is of particular concern that five samples tested which contained GM ingredients were labelled as being free of such ingredients.

The availability of these products is a cause of serious concern, as there are good scientific grounds for the opinion that genetic engineering of plants designed to be eaten, may be harmful to health. GM is the process whereby genes that are associated with specific qualities are transferred to unrelated species by methods not seen in nature.

Keywords: Food Safety Authority of Ireland, soya bean, labelling, health hazards

Citation: Cullen, E., 2007. Genetically modified food and health-a cause for concern? Irish medical Journal, 100(5), 475.