European report says no evidence of GM harm

The European Food Safety Authority has issued a report that says no evidence exists that genetically modified feed (GM) can have a harmful effect on meat, milk, and eggs. The report was in response to a petition filed with the European Commission. The petition called for labeling products coming from animals fed GM feed.

The study also looked at whether the DNA from GM foods could be absorbed by humans. “Recombinant DNA did not survive passage through the intact gastrointestinal tract of health human subjects fed GM soy,” the study said. The rapid breakdown of DNA and proteins during digestion reduces the chance of them being absorbed intact into the muscle, milk, or eggs of animals, the study said.

“After ingestion, a rapid degradation into short DNA or peptide fragments is observed in the gastrointestinal tract of animals and humans,” according to the report. “To date, a large number of experimental studies with livestock have shown that recombinant DNA fragments or proteins derived from GM plants have not been detected in tissues, fluids or edible products of farm animals,” the study said.