5. A new approach to assessing the safety of GM plants

5.1 Substantial equivalence: a comparative approach

The logic behind the comparative approach between a food derived from a GMP and the same food derived from a non-GM plant is based on the observation that the traditional varieties from which GMPs are derived are generally recognized as being without risk to health due to their often long history of consumption, the Anglo-Saxon concept of "history of safe use". . The appropriate comparator must be as isogenic as possible to the GM product, i.e. have as close a genetic heritage as possible, with the exception of newly introduced traits. Because of the complexity of foods, the aim of the comparison is to ensure the same level of safety as that accepted for conventional foods (I repeat that the safety of conventional...