The National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark has assessed a French study on the impact on rats fed genetically modified maize and the Roundup herbicide. The National Food Institute concludes that the study fails to meet scientifically accepted standards.
The new French study ‘Long term toxicity of a Roundup herbicide and a Roundup-tolerant genetically modified maize’ by Séralini and collaboration partners, published in the journal Food and Chemical Toxicology, has generated a lot of media attention. The National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark has assessed the study and found that the methodology and findings do not substantiate the conclusions made by the authors in the article.
The purpose of the French study is to describe the impact on rats of being fed various concentrations of the genetically modified NK603 maize, exposed to drinking water containing Roundup and fed with NK603 maize sprayed with Roundup. NK603 maize is genetically modified to be tolerant to glyphosate, the active ingredient in the Roundup herbicide. NK603 maize is approved for consumption in the EU and many other countries.
The National Food Institute finds the study inadequate because some of the findings presented are not substantiated by proper documentation. It is therefore not possible to conclude on the impact on rats of neither food containing NK603 maize nor drinking water containing Roundup.
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Read the entire assessment: The National Food Institute's assessment of a new long-term study on genetically modified NK603 maize and the Roundup herbicide (pdf).