Food experts want risk assessment guidelines for GMO products

May 28, 2018

At the moment, Uganda doesn’t have any Genetically Modified(GM) crops on the market.

FOOD
 
KAMPALA - As researchers wait for the signing of the biotechnology and biosafety bills into a law, experts in food risk assessment want Government to put in place measures that will assure the public that foods that will have been produced through biotechnology are safe for public consumption.
 
At the moment, Uganda doesn't have any Genetically Modified (GM) crops on the market; those available are still in confined field trials, but as soon as the bill is signed into law, food items in confined field trials will be ready for farmers.
 
The call was made by Dr Masami Takeuchi, the Food and Safety Officer, Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) on Friday, at the end of three day training on Risk Assessment and Risk Communication on genetic engineering technology, at Imperial Royal Hotel, Kampala.
 
The training was aimed at equipping stakeholders in biotechnology communication from UNCST, NBC among others so they can ably communicate concerns of the public in relation to the technology.
 
It was organised by FAO in partnership with the National biosafety committee of Uganda and the Uganda National Council for Science and Technology (UNCST).
 
"Once the food leaves confined field trials and is ready to be released to the public, the first concern will be how safe is the food so it is important that Government is equipped with the process of risk assessment for food items produced through genetic engineering," said Takeuchi.
 
She explained that there are internationally accepted food safety principals  through the  Codex Alumentarium commission, working together national standards bodies, World Health Organisation (WHO) and Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) that provide food safety and risk assessment guidelines for GMO products.
 
The principals, emphasise that there should be no introduction of new proteins that can easily cause allergies, and crops produced must not be toxic, others include nutrition composition so that whatever is produced is not different from the same crop produced the traditional way.
 
Need more experts
 
She however added that for Uganda to have proper risk assessment of genetically modified crops there is need for the recruitment of more experts in different crops being worked through biotechnology.
 
"It is very important to have experts in that field to ably carry out the work; this is not about because such risk assessment and safety doesn't look at one single substance but the whole food which need specific expertise," Takeuchi.
 
She gave an example that when testing for safety of food additives, the expert must have studied some chemistry so he can understand the substance before they can prove that the food item has additives or not.
 
Risk assessment and safety in the case of GM crops involves examining a whole food so as to look out for specifics like micro nutrients, interactions with other foods, proteins and possible elements inside the whole food, which calls for more expertise, added Takeuchi.
 
Do we have them?
 
She also suggested that Government could increase on the number of scientists in this field by coopting additional experts from different institutions to a have pool of experts who can always support each during risk assessment processes.
 
"Some experts should be selected from recognised institutors like the National Agriculture Research Organisation among others. From here, the committee should get two from each institution like two experts in gene analysis and two molecular biologists," added Bert Popping, an international facilitator.
 
What is happening in Uganda?
 
Dr Charles Mugoya, the chairperson of the National Biosafety committee (NBC) explained that in Uganda, the process of risk assessment is being undertaken by the NBC, composed of experts in environmental aspects, food safety, nutrition, social economic issues, among others.
 
Adding that these  write formal submissions to the Uganda National council of Science and Technology, in areas where they have competences regarding GMO and also decide where research in a particular GMO product can continue or not.
 
He however added that they don't have many experts and yet Uganda is at the moment working on cassava, maize, and potatoes, bananas which all call for experts with specific interest in those crops.
 
"We have some experts but they are not enough, every food has different characteristics that require a specialised scientist in that area to examine. In the training they train you in one area and have no expertise in maize analysis," Mugoya said.

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