Since 2003, ILSI Argentina is colaborating with ARGENBIO (Argentine Council for Biotehnology Information and Development) giving informative talks in different provinces all around the country.
Since 2003, ILSI Argentina has also been invited to participate in the Annual Conferences about Food - Nutrition and Health organized by the Buenos Aires Ministry of Health.
In April 2004, ILSI Argentina launched its first Special Report Series entitled “Soy and Nutrition” (see Publications).
ILSI Argentina is currently working on the compilation of local compositional data for food crops such as maize, olive, “yerba mate”, tea and wheat.
ILSI Argentina is also working in the final report about the Obesity Research Project started last year.
In October 7th-8th/2004, ILSI IFBiC and ILSI Argentina are organizing the “Workshop on Nutritional and Safety Assessment of Foods and Feeds Nutritionally Improved through Biotechnology” to be held in Buenos Aires city.
“Workshop on Nutritional and Safety Assessment of Foods and Feeds Nutritionally Improved through Biotechnology”
Aimed to: Regulatory affairs Profesionals working in the Public and Private Sector and Scientists of Mercosur Region.
Modern agricultural biotechnology, which involves the application of cellular and molecular techniques to transfer DNA that encodes a desired trait to food and feed crops, is proving to be a powerful complement to traditional plant breeding methods to meet global food requirements.
The first GM crops to be planted on a widespread basis consisted primarily of varieties with improved agronomic characteristics. These have been widely adopted and safely grown and used on a large scale in an increasing number of countries.
A newly emerging class of GM crops is being developed with a focus on improved human or animal nutrition.
These nutritionally improved crops have the potential to help offset nutrient deficiencies; improve the nutritional value of foods and feeds; promote well-being through elevated levels of beneficial compounds; lower levels of natural toxins, toxic metabolites, or allergens; improve processing; and/or enhance taste.
Numerous independent evaluations of GM crop assessment strategies by scientific organizations have concluded that current safety assessment processes for today’s GM crops are adequate to determine whether significant risks to human or animal health exist.
In 2001, the ILSI International Food Biotechnology Committee convened a task force and an expert working group to develop a framework for the scientific underpinnings of the safety and nutritional assessment of nutritionally improved GM products. This working group consisted of individuals from leading scientific institutions with expertise in the areas of human and animal nutrition, food composition, agricultural biotechnology, food and animal feed safety assessment, and global regulations pertaining to novel foods and feeds.
The resulting document provides the scientific underpinnings and recommendations for assessing the safety and nutritional effects of crops with improved nutritional qualities.
Thanks to the IFBiC, 4 international experts will be participating in this workshop as well as members of the IFBiC Task Force.
Program attached in Spanish and in English.