By Neil Merrett
Unilever's plans to adopt a new protein for ice cream production that
uses a genetically modified (GM) ingredient came a step closer to fruition
today after receiving provisional approval from the UK's Food Standards
Agency (FSA).
The decision by the FSA's Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and
Processes (ACNFP) will now be referred to other European Union member states
for further comment.

With the EU currently against the majority of GM use in food products
over potential safety issues, a decision to approve ISP's could pave the way
for the use of a number of similar technologies in formulation for products
sold in Europe.

The ACNFP is a UK body in charge of ensuring all novel food products
that enter the country are safe for human consumption. Its decision will
therefore be a major boost for Unilever, which had faced some opposition
from anti-GM campaigners over its use.

ISPs are naturally occurring proteins and peptides found in living
organisms such as fish, which protect their tissue from damage in very cold
conditions, by modifying the size and shape of ice-crystals.

However, since it would be unsustainable to use proteins directly from
the fish, Unilever developed a fermentation process where the GM yeast
carrying the synthetic gene encoding for the ISP.

The European Commission stated earlier this year in a report that
ingredients produced by fermentation using GM micro-organisms not present in
the final product do not fall under GM food legislation - and therefore do
not need to be labelled as GM products.

Although this applies to Unilever's ISP, the FSA's Advisory Committee
on Novel Foods and Processes (ACNFP) had said this was a special case, on
the grounds of "the use of a synthetic gene sequence and the presence? of a
significant proportion of cellular by-products from the fermentation process
such as yeast proteins".

It recommended at the time that consumers should be provided with
information indicating that the ingredient is made using a GM yeast - either
through information provided on food packaging or "via other easily
accessible routes".

Given that European public opinion remains largely opposed to GMOs,
such information could potentially turn some consumers off the products.

Moreover, the novel foods application, required since the ISO was not
commonly used in foods in the EU prior to 1997, has already caused
considerable controversy with anti-GM campaigners.

Last July scientists working on behalf of pressure group the
Independent Science Panel submitted their findings to the FSA that the
health and safety risks that have not been taken into account.

The claims appear to have been dismissed by the ACNFP's following its
latest decision to approve the product.

The transgenic protein has already been authorised in Australia, New
Zealand, Chile, Indonesia, Mexico, the Unites States and the Philippines.

In addition to the GM labelling, the agency also said that products
made using the ISP preparation should carry labels indicating yeast
derivation, for the benefit of allergy sufferers.

Unilever attributed its ice cream brands such as walls as the key
contributor to a four per cent rise in European sales volumes during the
first fiscal quarter of 2007.



[www.dairyreporter.com]