Europe gets its first GM food: Potato

The potato approved by the EU has been genetically modified to produce starch composed almost exclusively of amylopectin. It will have starch content of 98 per cent,which is around 20 per cent higher than what potatoes normally have. This has industrial usage,like in paper,textile and adhesives units.

Though the approval for cultivation of Amflora potato,which is developed by private German company BASF,has been given for industrial use and its by products for feed purposes,the fact that potato is a food crop holds significance. The approval comes despite stiff resistance from several other EU countries like Italy and Greece.

In the backdrop of the debate over commercial cultivation of Bt-brinjal in India,the EU decision holds significance as the potato belongs to the broad category of non-tuber bearing Solanum species,to which brinjal also belongs.

The EU decision came after Sweden granted approval for GM Amflora potato in 2004 for its industrial use,which was contested by several other EU countries on the basis of molecular characterisation,allergenicity,toxicity,an inadequate monitoring plan and the detection method of the product.

These objections were later rejected by the European Food and Safety Agency,which concluded that GM potato was unlikely to have an adverse effect on human and animal health or on the environment in context of its proposed uses.

The EU’s decision would now mean that it is now for Swedish authorities,which had approved it first in 2004 and sent it to EU for final decision given the common market,have 30 days to issue the final consent to the company.

In fact,given the divergent position of various member countries on the issue of GM crops in EU,the European Commission also announced to allow more flexibility to its member countries regarding their choice of cultivating GM crops in their territories.