Abstract
For the safety assessment of new plant varieties most countries have adopted a basically process-triggered legislation where the techniques applied in the plant breeding strategy determine the procedure for market approval. In other countries, there is a more product-based legislation where the characteristics of new plant varieties determine the procedure for market approval. In the present paper it is investigated whether the knowledge on current plant breeding strategies warrants the current distinction in safety assessment between the different types of techniques applied. Related to this it is assessed whether it is feasible to enforce any future legislation of plants obtained by new plant breeding techniques, based on traceability aspects related to the different gene editing strategies. It is concluded that unintended side effects can be related to any of the current plant breeding techniques, but the effects and associated frequencies of the mutations cannot be predicted and insufficient data are available to relate them to specific techniques. As a consequence, there is no scientific basis to state that the breeding technique applied should determine the nature and extent of the pre-market safety assessment of any new plant variety. Furthermore, it will not be feasible to analytically distinguish many of the varieties obtained by new plant breeding techniques from conventionally bred varieties. This study shows that only a truly product-based approach, assessing each new plant variety on its own merits in terms of altered characteristics and related hazards, will guarantee the safety of our food supply as well as the environmental safety.
Full Text
Topics from this Paper
Plant Breeding Techniques
Plant Varieties
Current Plant Breeding
Plant Breeding Strategies
Gene Editing Strategies
+ Show 5 more
Create a personalized feed of these topics
Get StartedSimilar Papers
Frontiers in Plant Science
Jan 19, 2023
Food and Energy Security
Sep 30, 2022
Cell
Mar 1, 2021
Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics
Sep 1, 2005
The Plant Journal
Feb 3, 2014
Frontiers in Plant Science
Dec 20, 2019
New Biotechnology
Jul 1, 2019
GM Crops & Food
Jan 2, 2017
Jan 1, 2023
International Journal of Plant Research
May 9, 2012
Journal of Agronomic Education
Jan 1, 1981
Plant Biotechnology Journal
Apr 22, 2014
Trends in Food Science & Technology
Trends in Food Science & Technology
Oct 1, 2023
Trends in Food Science & Technology
Oct 1, 2023
Trends in Food Science & Technology
Oct 1, 2023
Trends in Food Science & Technology
Oct 1, 2023
Trends in Food Science & Technology
Oct 1, 2023
Trends in Food Science & Technology
Oct 1, 2023
Trends in Food Science & Technology
Oct 1, 2023
Trends in Food Science & Technology
Oct 1, 2023
Trends in Food Science & Technology
Oct 1, 2023
Trends in Food Science & Technology
Sep 1, 2023