According to this policy, FDA relies on companies developing GM foods to voluntarily notify the agency before marketing the foods. To ensure that GM foods do not have decreased nutritional value, scientists also measure the nutrient composition, or “nutrition profile,” of these foods. However, biotechnology experts state that the agency’s overall evaluation process could be enhanced by randomly verifying the test data that companies provide and by increasing the transparency of the evaluation process—including more clearly communicating the scientific rationale for the agency’s final decision on GM food safety assessments. While current tests have been adequate for evaluating the small number of relatively simple compositional changes made so far, some scientists believe that new testing technologies under development may be needed to assess the safety of these more complex GM foods. In addition to increasing nutrients in GM foods, scientists are working to reduce the presence of allergens, toxins, and antinutrients. Experts Maintain That Long-Term Monitoring of GM Foods Is Neither Necessary nor Feasible

Scientists and federal regulatory officials we contacted generally agreed that long-term monitoring of the human health risks of GM foods through epidemiological studies is not necessary because there is no scientific evidence suggesting any long-term harm from these foods.
Why GAO Did This Study

Genetically modified foods pose the same risks to human health as do other foods. These risks include allergens, toxins, and compounds known as antinutrients which inhibit the absorption of nutrients. Before marketing a genetically modified food, company scientists seek to determine whether these foods pose any heightened risks. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published guidelines in 1992 to ensure that companies worked with the agency to assess the safety of genetically modified foods.

What GAO Found

GAO found that FDA's evaluation process could be enhanced by randomly verifying the test data provided and by increasing the transparency of the evaluation process, including communicating more clearly the scientific rationale for FDA's final decision on an assessment of genetically modified food. Scientists expect that genetic modifications will increasingly enhance the nutritional value of genetically modified foods. Although current tests have been adequate for evaluating the few genetically modified foods that have, so far, undergone relatively simple compositional changes, new technologies are being developed to evaluate the increasingly complex compositional changes expected. Monitoring the long-term health risks of genetically modified foods is generally neither necessary nor feasible. No scientific evidence exists, nor is there even a hypothesis, suggesting that long-term harm, such as higher cancer rates, results from these foods. Moreover, technical challenges make long-term monitoring infeasible.