6. GMPs: a source of scientific controversy

It was probably in August 1998 that the first scientific controversy about the health risks of GM plants erupted, when Arpad Pusztai, working at the Rowett Research Institute in Scotland, announced the possible toxicity of genetically modified foods. Pusztai had produced a transgenic potato into which he had introduced the gene coding for snowdrop lectin. Rats fed these potatoes showed a reduced immune response and stunted growth, compared with rats fed non-GM potatoes to which the same amount of lectin as produced by the PGM had been added. Pusztai concluded that the genetic transformation had produced an unexpected toxic effect. However, the protocol used by Pusztai did not allow for the conclusion he drew. This is why all reports from international bodies insist on the need to build any experimentation according to standards recognized by the scientific community, so as not to leave...