EU Approves GM Products

The European Commission has authorized 10 new biotech products for food/feed use, 7 renewals of existing authorizations and also the authorization for the importation of 2 genetically modified (GM) cut flowers (for import). These products had gone through a full authorization procedure, including a favorable scientific assessment by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), and the authorization decisions do not cover cultivation.

All the biotech products approved have been proved to be safe before they were placed on the EU market. The risk assessment has been done by EFSA in collaboration with Member States for each individual genetically modified organism (GMO) to be put on the market. The GM food and feed authorizations will be added to the existing list of 58 GMOs authorized in the EU for food and feed uses (covering maize, cotton, soybean, oilseed rape, sugar beet). The authorizations are valid for 10 years, and any products produced from these GM products will be subject to the EU's labelling and traceability rules. The GM products adopted are as follows:

• 10 new authorizations: MON 87460 maize, MON 87705 soybean, MON 87708 soybean, MON 87769 soybean, 305423 soybean, BPS-CV127-9 soybean, MON 88302, oilseed rape, T304-40 cotton, MON 88913 cotton, LLCotton25xGHB614 cotton
• 7 renewals: T25 maize, NK603 maize, GT73 oilseed rape, MON 531 x MON 1445 cotton, MON 15985 cotton; MON 531 cotton and MON 1445 cotton
• 2 GM cut flowers (carnations line IFD-25958-3 and line IFD-26407-2).

For more information, go to the European Commission website.