Risky genes in bottles

Scientists express safety concerns about GMOs in formula

Warnings from the UK Royal Society Working Group on Genetically Modified Food express fears about the safety of genetically modified infant formulas. “Bottle-fed babies could be undernourished if given genetically modified infant formula milk because of inadequate regulations and testing regimes for GM foods,” leading scientists said.

After spending more than a year reviewing the health risks of GM food, the Royal Society Working Group called for tighter safety checks before all novel foods, including GMs, are declared fit for human consumption. The report said that regulations covering foods made from GM plants were “rather piecemeal” and may contain “some important gaps and inconsistencies.”

Dr. Eric Brunner, an epidemiologist at University College, London, and one of the report’s authors said babies dependent solely on formula milk were particularly vulnerable to any nutritional changes. He said there was a “potential concern that small changes to the nutritional content might have effects on infant bowel function.”

Although infant formula is meant not to contain any GM ingredients, Food Standards Agency research published recently found that one in seven loaves, cakes, pies or pastries – some labeled as organic – had trace amounts of GM soya.

The Royal Society said it was concerned that much of the research into the safety aspects of GM foods was kept secret because it was commercially sensitive information.  

REFERENCES:

Daily Telegraph, Fears for babies from GM milk, Robert Uhlig, 05/02/2002.

The Independent, Scientists to Warnof GM Food Dangers for Babies.  Marie Woolf,

February 4,2002.

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