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Most GMO safety studies done by biotech companies

By Ken Roseboro
Published: May 1, 2011

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Newly published research has found that most studies examining the safety of genetically modified foods are conducted by biotechnology companies that develop GM foods.

The paper, “A Literature Review on the Safety Assessment of Genetically Modified Plants,” was written by Jose L. Domingo and Jordi Gine Bordonaba and published in a recent edition of Environmental International.

In the current report, the authors found that the number of new studies has increased dramatically since 2006. Despite this increase in research, the authors state that “the number of studies specifically focused on safety assessment of GM plants is still limited.”

However, the researchers emphasize that “it is worth mentioning that most of the studies demonstrating that GM foods are as nutritional and safe as those obtained by conventional breeding, have been performed by biotechnology companies or associates, which are also responsible [for] commercializing these GM plants.”

The report states that most researchers agree that more scientific studies are needed to demonstrate GM food safety.

Two scientists, Artemis Dona and Ioannis S. Arvanitoyannis, of the University of Athens Medical School, have especially raised red flags about GM food safety. They have said that results of most studies with GM foods would indicate that they may cause some common toxic effects in human health.