Modern food biotechnology, human health and development

Despite a number of national and international initiatives, the use and development of modern food biotechnology remains a controversial global issue. Modern food biotechnology promises a new range of products and processes proclaimed to be for the public good, some related to agricultural benefits others directly or indirectly to health. This study set out to assess how these products currently impact human health and the development of society at large and how they will do so in the future.The report presents the potential benefits and risks associated with GM foods. It finds that GM foods can increase crop yield, food quality and the diversity of foods which can be grown in a given area. This in turn can lead to better health and nutrition, which can then help to raise health and living standards.Furthermore, the authors point out that, since being introduced in the mid 1990s they have not caused any known negative health effects. However, it also acknowledges that the introduction of new genes into food crops may cause changes in their existing genetic make-up and therefore advocates both the assessment of the potential human health effects of new GM foods prior to marketing, and long-term monitoring to catch any possible adverse effects early.The report also recommends that in future, evaluations of GM foods should be widened to include social, cultural and ethical considerations, to help ensure there is no "genetic divide" between groups of countries which do and do not allow the growth, cultivation and marketing of GM products. Currently, evaluations primarily focus on the agronomic ramifications and on possible health effects. The GM food aid crisis in southern Africa in 2002, where a number of countries did not permit GM food aid as a result of mostly socio-economic concerns, illustrates the need for broader evaluations.