October 4, 2012

expert reaction to EFSA initial review of GM maize

The European Food Safety Authority conducted a review* of the recent paper that purported to show rats developing tumours after eating GM maize. They found the study was of insufficient scientific quality to be considered as valid for risk assessment.

Prof Cathie Martin of the Department of Metabolic Biology at the John Innes Centre said:

“EFSA do not take their responsibility towards food safety lightly, and their latest analysis of the Seralini maize paper should reassure the public that this paper offers no useful information on toxicity of Roundup or herbicide resistant crops.

“If this maize were genuinely toxic as the Seralini paper reported, it would be important to make that public.  But the EFSA analysis is unequivocal in its criticisms of the work.  The fact they find the analysis of insufficient quality to draw meaningful conclusions is of huge significance and very much in line with what we at the John Innes Centre, and much of the rest of the scientific community, have already said. 

“I hope that the journal and the team behind the original work will take notice of this and cooperate in providing all the additional information required to support their claims, or retract the paper.”

* http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/press/news/121004.htm