for
novel foods, namely GM plants and their products (ILSI, 2003): WHO and OECD have
established the safety assessment process based on the principle of “substantial equivalence”
to assure that foods derived from new processes are as safe and nutritious as food produced
from conventionally bred crops. This process considers two aspects: (1) the properties of the
introduced trait (gene); and (2) any effect generated by the introduction or expression of the
new trait in the crop or food. This is a comparative safety assessment whereby conventional