The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is preparing its work with a view to publishing a scientific opinion on the allergenicity of genetically modified plants by summer 2021.
To this end, on Thursday 23 July, it launched a call for applications for the establishment of a Stakeholder Consultation Group which it will set up to support it in its work.
This group will be consulted at different stages of the process and will provide input to the EFSA Working Group on GMOs.
Stakeholder organisations registered with the EFSA as well as non-registered organisations with an interest in the topic are invited to apply.
Experts from Member States will also be involved in the Consultation Group.
The EFSA will address recurrent issues related to the allergenicity and safety assessment of proteins from GM plants. Particular attention will be paid to the usefulness of the current in vitro protein digestibility test, a pepsin resistance test, in assessing the safety of proteins.
The European authority will also address the main gaps in the assessment of allergenicity and safety of novel proteins, highlighting key aspects requiring further work or discussion and formulating specific research needs.
The EFSA will produce by the end of 2020 a statement on the usefulness of in vitro protein digestion in risk assessment. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)