The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has dismissed a recent study claiming that genetically modified corn caused laboratory rats to develop tumors, saying the study was so badly designed and conducted that it has no scientific validity at all.

The devastating review was published a day after a similar review by a German government agency that reached the same conclusion: the study by Gilles-Eric Seralini and his colleagues means nothing.

“EFSA’s initial review found that the design, reporting and analysis of the study, as outlined in the paper, are inadequate,” the agency said in a news release.  “Such shortcomings mean that EFSA is presently unable to regard the authors’ conclusions as scientifically sound. The numerous issues relating to the design and methodology of the study as described in the paper mean that no conclusions can be made about the occurrence of tumors in the rats tested.”

Like other scientists from all over the world, EFSA noted the fact that Seralini - a well-known anti-GMO activist - used a strain of lab rats that are prone to develop tumors as they get older, regardless of what they are fed.  It was no surprise, therefore, that some of the rats fed biotech corn in fact developed tumors.  But so did some of the rats fed conventional corn.

The number of rats used in the experiment was far below the number needed to prove anything, EFSA noted, and the number of “control” rats fed conventional corn was grossly inadequate.  The data were presented in unusual ways that ignored standard statistical methods.  Numerous other violations of scientific procedure mean that the reported results of the experiment are meaningless, EFSA said.

“Some may be surprised that EFSA’s statement focuses on the methodology of this study rather than its outcomes; however, this goes to the very heart of the matter,” said Dr. Per Bergman, a GMO expert at EFSA who headed the review.  

“When conducting a study it is crucial to ensure a proper framework is in place.  Having clear objectives and the correct design and methodology create a solid base from which accurate data and valid conclusions can follow. Without these elements a study is unlikely to be reliable and valid.”

The EFSA review is available at http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/2910.htm

Mexican Ag Ministry approves planting of GM corn for economic benefits

According to Reuters, Mexico’s Agriculture Ministry approved the country’s first pilot program for planting genetically modified (GM) corn because it will help the agriculture economy.  “It is necessary to advance the use of biotechnology to reduce imports and promote national production,” the ministry statement said. Farmers in the northern Mexican state of Tamaulipas, where the pilot program will take place, say GM corn will benefit them because it is “higher yielding and more disease resistant.” Read more.

Ugandan scientists testing GM bananas with potential to resist crop disease

Scientists in Uganda believe that genetically modified bananas could help overcome a disease that is devastating the country’s staple food crop, The Guardian reports. The article says that, “laboratory tests on the genetically modified bananas have been highly promising” with six out of eight strains of the GM bananas proving to be 100% resistant to the disease that has threatened the livelihoods of millions of farmers.

According to Dr. Leena Tripathi, a plant biotechnologist at the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA), “The beauty of the genetic engineering is that you can be very precise,” Read more.

Bangladeshi farmers adopting GM rice for nutritional benefits

According to the United Nations news service, scientists from the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute are testing zinc-rich rice varieties with the goal of mass producing a GM crop within the next five years. Rice, the staple crop of Bangladesh, naturally contains low levels of iron, so farmers in field trials are producing GM rice with high zinc content “to control abnormalities like stunting, poor immune response and pregnancy complications” which can result from too little iron. Read more.