2015 Evidence Analysis Library Systematic Review on Advanced Technology in Food Production.

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Biotechnology
• Human Health

Background:

• Genetic engineering (GE) in food production has increased since the late 20th century.
• GE foods are prevalent in the food supply, leading to public debate on their safety and benefits.
• Consumer and professional acceptance of GE foods varies due to concerns about potential risks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review the evidence on the human health effects of consuming GE foods and ingredients.
• To examine associations with allergenicity, food safety, pesticide consumption, nutrient adequacy, inflammation, and antibiotic resistance.
• To address expert-panel-generated questions on GE food consumption and pesticide residue impacts.

Main Methods:

• A systematic review of primary research published between 1994 and 2014.
• Searches conducted in PubMed and Agricultural Online Access databases, supplemented by reference lists of review articles.
• Inclusion of 21 studies that met specific criteria, addressing five out of 30 developed questions.

Main Results:

• Limited/weak evidence (Grade III) was found for allergenicity and nutrient adequacy.
• No human studies addressed 25 questions concerning gene translocation, cancer, food safety, phenotype expression, inflammation, or antibiotic resistance (Grade V).
• Evidence from human studies did not reveal associations between adverse health effects and GE food consumption.

Conclusions:

• Current human studies suggest no clear adverse health effects related to allergenicity and nutrient adequacy from consuming GE foods.
• The available human evidence is limited but supports the general safety of GE foods in these aspects.
• Findings align with reports from organizations like the National Academy of Sciences regarding GE food safety.