Problem Formulation - A Critical Step in Risk Assessment of GM Crops

The development of regulatory dossiers, a process of risk assessment of biotech crops aims to provide a cost-effective guide to decision making by regulators. However, prior to risk characterization and risk evaluation, the most essential step in any risk assessment process is problem formulation. This was shared by Drs. Hector Quemada and Karen Hokanson of the Risk Assessment Research and Biotechnology and Biodiversity Interface (BBI) Component of the Program for Biosafety Systems during the seminar on Improving Environmental Risk Assessment, Problem Formulation and Tiered Testing held last April 28 at the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) based at the University of the Philippines Los Banos.

A well-designed and implementable process of problem formulation will improve the quality, consistency, clarity and transparency of environmental risk assessment. The use of tiered approaches for testing relevant risk hypotheses were also highlighted during the seminar. The established methodologies and science-based risk assessment allows for the wider adoption and use of GM crops. The seminar which was attended by professors, scientists, regulators and research managers was organized by SEARCA, SEARCA Biotechnology Information Center and the Program for Biosafety Systems.

The pdf copy of the powerpoint presentations can be downloaded at http://www.bic.searca.org. For additional information about biotech updates in the Philippines, email bic@agri.searca.org