Detection of gene modified organisms in food
The increasing use of biological techniques in the production of agricultural products, and consequently food, is provoking increased consumer awareness and concern. The European Commission has therefore initiated a number of legislative and regulatory measures relating to the release of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in the environment and the mandatory labelling of products containing GMOs. In this context, the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) is currently collaborating in two projects relating to the detection of GMOs in food: - Validation of a screening method for the detection of GMOs in food: The Environment Institute of the JRC in Ispra is coordinating an intercomparison study aimed at validating an existing analytical method for the detection of GMOs in food based on DNA detection with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification. The participation of one to two laboratories from each Member State in the collaborative study is planned. There is, to date, no internationally validated method for the detection of GMOs in food. The validation of a screening method would help to detect rapidly 26 modified organisms from the 28 actually on the market; - Reference materials for the detection of GMOs: The introduction of reliable labelling of GMO containing products demands an appropriate analytical methodology and is facilitated by the availability of (certified) reference materials. The Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements (JRC Geel, Belgium) is presently producing reference materials for the detection of gene modified soy beans and corn. These materials will be used in the above-mentioned intercomparison study.