Safety assessment of a nematode-resistant tomato by a simple, short-term rat feeding study

A simple, 11-week, weanling rat feeding period was used to determine general safety of a nematode-resistant tomato cultivar. Comparison of growth, mean blood hemoglobin, hematocrit, red blood cell count, and total white blood cell count of Fisher rats fed a complete diet containing 40% "VFN 8" tomato (nematode-resistant) cultivar to two other groups of rats, fed either a "New Yorker" tomato (nematode-susceptible) or a control diet, showed normal and similar results. Although the expressed product of the Mi gene necessary for nematode resistance is unknown, this short, comparative study of a whole plant food shows no unexpected toxicants influencing animal growth and hematology. However, human exposure of this resistant tomato would be needed to definitely determine consumer safety regarding allergenicity and hypersensitivity.