Abstract

VILLALOBOS HERNANDEZ, María Eugenia  and  ESPINOZA ESQUIVEL, Ana Mercedes. The concept of substantial equivalence as applied to foodstuffs derived from genetically-modified crops. Rev. costarric. salud pública [online]. 2008, vol.17, n.32, pp.52-57. ISSN 1409-1429.

The objective of this article is to describe the complete application of the concept of substantial equivalence, which is internationally accepted and widely used for food safety evaluation of new foods. The methodology consists of a literature review of current documents from several agencies such as the World Health Organization (WHO), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the Food and Drug Administration of the USA (FDA), and others. This article presents the global trends related to the planting of genetically modified crops, and the Costa Rican situation on planting genetically modified crops for increasing seed yield. The article introduces the concept of substantial equivalence, and discusses several tests that should be applied in order to demonstrate that a genetically modified food derived from a GM crop is safe for human and animal consumption. As conclusion, the concept of substantial equivalence is the internationally and currently accepted criteria the food safety assessment of crops developed by modern biotechnology.

Keywords : genetically modified crop-derived foods; substantial equivalence; modern biotechnology; food deregulation; Costa Rica.

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