BRUSSELS, Belgium - A genetically modified tomato from Zeneca has passed one of the stages toward winning approval for release on European Union markets. The European Commission announced on Oct. 11 that its Scientific Committee on Food had expressed a favorable opinion on the safety of products derived from the tomato.

Zeneca had sought approval under the EU Novel Food Regulation for this tomato variety intended solely for processing. When ripe, the tomato softens less quickly than its conventional counterparts, thus conferring better processing properties. The fruit is reported to be unpalatable and therefore is not intended to be consumed raw. It is processed, using heat treatment, for products like diced canned tomatoes, juice, and puree. This heat treatment biologically inactivates the modified genes and their protein products.

The committee concluded that, from the consumer health point of view, processed foods derived from these tomatoes are as safe as products from conventional fruit. However, it also admitted that "the question whether genetic modification results in modification of the existing proteins cannot be totally answered. This question would apply equally to other GM foods as well as to new strains developed by traditional crosses not involving GM technology." The European Commission will take the opinion into account in deciding on the conditions for the product's authorization, and on the labeling requirements for it.

The product already is authorized in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the UK, and it has already received clearance from the EU's Scientific Committee on Plants. But some EU member states have raised objections about marker genes it carries, and have urged that the product should also be cleared through the EU's 1990 general rules on release of biotechnology products.

- Peter O'Donnell