Biotech Updates

EFSA Releases New Guideline for GM Crop Applications

December 11, 2013

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has released a new guidance on submission of applications for authorization of genetically modified (GM) plants under Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003. The EFSA submission guidance is now updated to account for requirements outlined in Implementing Regulation (EU) No. 503/2013. This Regulation only covers GM plant applications for food and feed uses, and excludes GM plant applications for cultivation in the EU. Therefore, the update of the EFSA submission guidance focuses on the relevant parts related to molecular characterisation and food and feed safety assessment as outlined in Appendix A (the completeness checklist). Parts pertaining to the Environmental Risk Assessment were not changed, except for Appendix E which was updated.

The EFSA submission guidance and all appendices are available in electronic format on EFSA's website: http://www.efsa.europa.eu/. For more information, see EFSA's news release at http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/3491.htm.