Eurofins/ GeneScan Develop Quantitative Test for Insect-Resistant Corn to Help the Food and Feed Industry Comply with the New EU
Brussels/ Freiburg. With the new EC-regulation on labelling and traceability of genetically modified organisms (GMO), the compliance requirements for the producers of food and feed have increased significantly. Standard Screening Tests as practiced by most laboratories are no longer sufficient. A completely new, quantitative test for the genetically modified corn type MON863 (YieldGard PlusTM, MaxGardTM) has been developed and is now offered by Eurofins and GeneScan.
Since 18.4.2004 the new EU-regulations 1829/2003/EC and 1830/2003/EC regarding the labelling of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) and the traceability of food and feed made from GMO have to be applied. According to this regulation, food and feed products will also have to be labelled, if the adventitious and technically unavoidable presence of GMO exceeds 0.9%. As a precondition, these GMO have to be authorised in the EU. GMO without such permission are not allowed in feed and food products. An exception exists for those GMO, which had been authorised by the EC Scientific Committee before the regulation 1830/2003/EC came into effect. These GMO are allowed up to 0.5% in food and feed. Trait specific GMO analyses methods are thus necessary in order to differentiate between the various categories laid out in legislation.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) published on 19.4.2004 a positive assessment of the transgenic corn variety MON863 from Monsanto, which is traded as YieldGard PlusTM or MaxGardTM. Hence, MON863-corn belongs to the group of GMO, for which an amount of up to 0.5% is tolerable in food and feed. To confirm the marketability of food and feed products potentially containing this GMO, the identification and quantification of the relative part of MON863-corn is necessary.
Indeed, a standard screening test, as practiced by most laboratories, showing the presence of 35S or NOS genetic sequence is no longer sufficient to decide on the declaration for the product. Quantitative trait specific assays like the one developed by GeneScan for MON863 are now required.
With the new development and offer of the quantitative analysis of MON863-corn, Eurofins and GeneScan serve the needs of the food and feed industry to comply with the relevant European regulations. Eurofins and GeneScan offer far more than 50 different qualitative and quantitative tests for GMO and are able to provide an exact analytical statement about the marketability and labelling requirements of food and feed to serve best the needs of the food and feed industry.
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