As. Pac. J. Mol. Biol. & Biotech., Dec 2002 Vol. 10 (2) : 75-77

MINI REVIEW

Ensuring the Safety of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) before Regional Marketing

Low Fee Chon

Member of the Genetic Modification Advisory Committee (GMAC) Malaysia,
Ministry of Science, Technology and the Environment, Malaysia

THE BIOTECHNOLOGY PROMISE

     Biotechnology in the last two decades has experienced unprecedented advancement. A wide array of biotechnology products are now available in the market as well as in the pipeline, which offer promises of improved quality of life. The rapid adoption of biotechnology, particularly agricultural biotechnology, in several countries, has resulted in an abundance and variety of biotechnology products, especially genetically modified food (GMF) in the market. This has caused concerns for the safety of these products i.e. biosafety concerns.

     Fortunately, the successful conclusion of the Cartegena Protocol on Biosafety1 in Montreal on January 29, 2000 marked a cornerstone for the regulation of transboundary movement, handling and use of living modified organisms (LMOs). For the first time, the international community has a set of obligations to comply with in the development, handling, transport, use and release of LMOs into the environment. Malaysia, as a Party to the Protocol has an international commitment to take necessary legal and administrative steps to ensure that genetically modified organisms will be assessed as safe before they are released into the environment, including for sale in the market.

This paper will focus on GMF used for food and feed, rather than the release of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) into the environment for planting.