Dubai: The Food and Environment Laboratories Section in the Dubai Central Laboratory of Dubai Municipality has developed a new screening service for genetically modified food items to ensure that the product conforms to the description on the label.
The test is being done using Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (Real Time-PCR), a technique with precision, the civic body said in a press release on Wednesday.
Tests are conducted by experienced and competent specialists in laboratories in order to ensure public health and safety and meet the special requirements of the ISO17025 standard of quality and efficiency of laboratories.
Genetically modified foods contain food ingredients that are modified in a way that does not occur naturally, but through the introduction of specific genes from different sources of those components.
It is noteworthy that there are more than 28 genetically modified plants approved internationally using more than 404 types of genetic modification in more than 40 countries in the world. Soybeans and maize are among the most genetically modified plants planted around the world, accounting for more than 80 per cent of the total cultivated area of these plants in the world.
