Crop Composition as a Component of Food and Feed Safety Assessment and Hands On with the Crop Composition Database

Crop composition is an essential component of the food safety assessment for GE crops that are intended to be used as food. However, it is important to understand the purpose of the data and its context in the safety assessment. Open to attendees of the 15^th ISBR Symposium, this workshop provided an opportunity to briefly discuss the rationale for considering crop composition data, how that data is interpreted in the context of the safety assessment, and what the limitations are to compositional studies.

The workshop also introduced participants to a resource for assisting in the interpretation of compositional studies—the Crop Composition Database. Participants saw a demonstration of the database and its features, highlighting updates and additions to Version 7.0, the latest iteration of the database that was launched in January 2019. Then, participants were provided with a series of exercises designed to help them understand the search reporting function of the Crop Composition Database, which they were able to walk through using their personal laptop during the workshop.

In order to ensure that organizers could provide assistance to participants while conducting the practical exercises, the workshop was limited to 20 participants and was conducted twice (at 2:00 pm and 4:00 pm). More information about the workshop is available from the International Society for Biosafety Research.

Agenda

Welcome and Introduction

Compositional Assessment as a Component of Food Safety Assessment for GE Plants
Dr. Andrew Roberts, Deputy Executive Director, Agriculture & Food Systems Institute

Introduction to the Crop Composition Database
Dr. Bhavneet Bajaj, Scientific Program Manager, Agriculture & Food Systems Institute

Practical Exercises