Can genetically modified (GM) foods cause allergies in some people?
People with food allergies have an unusual immune reaction when they are exposed to specific proteins, called allergens, in food. About 2% of people across all ages have a food allergy of some sort. These people usually only react to one or a few allergens in one or two specific foods. The majority of foods do not cause any allergy in the majority of people. Such allergens may also be present in conventional foods that are subsequently genetically modified. For example, soy naturally contains proteins that cause allergic reactions in some people. Unless the proteins are specifically removed, they will remain in GM soy varieties. FSANZ checks to ensure that the levels of naturally occurring allergens in GM foods have not significantly increased above the natural range found in the conventional food. FSANZ also checks to ensure that the new proteins in GM foods are not likely to be allergenic – by, for example, investigating whether the protein has come from a food which is known to cont
