The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has delivered a positive scientific opinion on Monsanto’s MON 87769 soybean crop, which has been genetically modified to contain stearidonic acid. This places the MON 87769 soybean crop – intended to modify the lipid profile of the extracted oil – on the European market for food and feed uses, import and processing.
“The EFSA GMO Panel considers that the information available for soybean MON 87769 addresses the scientific issues indicated by the Guidance document of the EFSA GMO Panel and the scientific comments raised by the Member States, and that soybean MON 87769 is as safe as its conventional counterpart and is unlikely to have adverse effects on human and animal health and the environment in the context of the scope of this application,” states the scientific opinion.
The GMO Panel added that a comparative analysis of MON 87769 found no phenotypic or agronomic differences to its counterpart (soybean A3525) or to non-GM soybean reference varieties. However, it confirmed that the composition of MON 87769 differs from that of the conventional counterpart and non-GM soybean reference varieties. “The newly expressed desaturases in soybean MON 87769 seeds resulted in an alteration of the fatty acid profile, leading to the appearance of four new fatty acids (stearidonic acid (SDA), g-linolenic acid and two trans-fatty (acids) and a reduction in linoleic acid (LA),” said EFSA.
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Read the full, original article: EFSA gives Monsanto the green light on SDA-rich GM soy
