Genetically Modified Organisms Testing

GMO’s are created by introducing genetic material from a different organism to give the organism some desirable traits like pesticide resistance, resistance to disease, more yield etc. Resistance against insects is made by introducing into the plant DNA a gene for toxin production from bacillus thuringienesis whilst resistance to virus is by injecting genes from virus that causes the plant disease. Herbicide resistance is achieved through the introduction of a gene from a bacterium conveying resistance to some herbicides. Introduction of such genes from bacteria and viruses have given rise to suspicion of allergenicity, microbial resistance, mutagenicity and general unknown long-term impairment to human health. Foods from genetically modified plants on sale in the US are regulated by the FDA and they must meet the safety standards as traditional foods and they must be tested. In Singapore all research into GMO must comply to reach guidelines for GMO by GMAC, the genetic modification advisory authority. The GMAC controls the release of GMO foods in Singapore. The official regulatory agency for GM foods is the Singapore Food Agency (SFA). According to the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA), the principal genetically modified (GM) crop in 2012 was GM soybean, followed by GM maize, GM cotton, and GM canola. These are sometimes called first generation GM foods which gives agronomic traits. Second generation GM foods awaiting regulatory approvals gives enhanced nutritional contents like golden rice with pro vitamin A and soya beans with enhanced omega 3 fatty acids. There are no current legislation and labelling requirements for GMO in Singapore but food products like all other foods must meet food labelling requirements to facilitate tracing and recall.