Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Correspondence
  • Published:

Trace and traceability—a call for regulatory harmony

Nature Biotechnology volume 26, pages 975–978 (2008)Cite this article

To the Editor:

Genetically modified (GM) crops were grown commercially in 23 countries in 2007, with a further 29 allowing the import of GM crops for food and/or feed use and release into the environment1. Despite encouraging evidence concerning the positive socioeconomic and environmental benefits brought about by the adoption of GM technology1,2, we wish to highlight the fact that further development is being hampered by a lack of harmonization among national regulatory frameworks relating to research, biosafety and to the trade and use of GM crops. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the laws and regulations governing the tolerance levels for GM material in non-GM food and in the labeling and traceability of GM products.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Relevant articles

Open Access articles citing this article.

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

  1. James, C. ISAAA Brief No. 37. (ISAAA, Ithaca, NY, USA, 2007).

    Google Scholar 

  2. Brookes, G. & Barfoot, P. ISAAA Brief No. 36. (ISAAA, Ithaca, NY, USA, 2006).

    Google Scholar 

  3. Gruère, G.P. Food Policy 31, 148–161 (2006).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Carter, C.A. & Gruère, G.P. in Regulating Agricultural Biotechnology. Economics and Policies (eds. Just, R., Alston, J.M. & Zilberman, D.) 459–480 (Springer Publishing, New York, USA, 2006).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  5. Fransen, L., La Vina, A., Dayrit, F., Gatlabayan, L., Santosa, D.A. & Adiwibowo, S. Integrating Socio-Economic Considerations into Biosafety Decisions: The Role of Public Participation (World Resources Institute White Paper, WRI, Washington, DC, USA, 2005).

    Google Scholar 

  6. Bernauer, T. Genes, Trade and Regulation: The Seeds of Conflict in Food Biotechnology (Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, USA, 2003).

    Google Scholar 

  7. Christou P. & Twyman, R.M. Nutrition Res. Rev. 17, 23–42 (2004).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Bernauer, T. Intl. J. Biotechnol. 7, 7–28 (2005).

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departament de Produccio Vegetal I Ciencia Forestal, University of Lleida, Avenue Alcalde Rovira Roure 177, Lleida, E-25198, Spain

    Koreen Ramessar, Teresa Capell & Paul Christou

  2. Department of Biology, University of York, Heslington, YO10 5DD, York, UK

    Richard M Twyman

  3. Department of Biology, Calvin College, 1726 Knollcrest Circle, S.E., Grand Rapids, 49546-4403, Michigan, USA

    Hector Quemada

  4. Institucio Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avancats, Passeig Lluís Companys, Barcelona, 08018, Spain

    Paul Christou

Authors
  1. Koreen Ramessar
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Teresa Capell
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Richard M Twyman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Hector Quemada
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Paul Christou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Ramessar, K., Capell, T., Twyman, R. et al. Trace and traceability—a call for regulatory harmony. Nat Biotechnol 26, 975–978 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt0908-975

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt0908-975

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing