By Rady Ananda
Food Freedom
In February, the European Commission (EC) approved four transgenic soybeans intended for food and feed, import and processing, reports Inf’OGM. This follows four approvals in December, on top of three last summer.
Three of the recently-approved GM soy varieties are tolerant to herbicides: DuPont-Pioneer’s 356043, Monsanto’s Glyphosate-tolerant soy GTS40-3-2, and Bayer’s A5547127. The fourth, Mon87701, produces an insecticide.
The US approved GTS40-3-2 in 1994, quickly followed by Canada, Japan, Argentina, Uruguay, Mexico, Brazil and South Africa. [1] In 2000, Monsanto discovered two extra bacterial DNA sequences, requiring global notifications to be sent. [2] Food safety authorities found no problem with the extra genetic material. [3]
France abstained from voting on approval of GTS40-3-2, as well as Mon87701 and DuPont-Pioneer’s 356043. However, the French Agency for Food Safety refused to approve Bayer’s A5547127 on the grounds that the safety studies failed to consider sub-chronic toxicity in rats.
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