Unilever has met some obstacles from anti-GM groups in seeking FSA approval for the genetically modified (GM) ice-structuring protein derived from a polar fish, ocean pout, for use in its ice cream made in the UK.
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The UK’s Independent Science Panel (ISP) has questioned if studies carried out by Unilever are adequate to rule out allergy and other immune reactions, and recommended further testing before approval.
Unilever has said that the protein is completely safe and represents a major breakthrough for food makers looking to produce smoother and creamier ice cream, and it is already used in ice cream in the USA, Australia and New Zealand.
The ISP said that, in contrary to the claims of Unilever, there is no evidence that the transgenic ice-structuring protein is identical to the protein produced in pouter fish.
“The transgenic protein appears to have the glycosylation pattern of yeast, making that protein a unique antigen. Even though allergenicity was studied in a cursory way, there is clear precedent for studying inflammation comprehensively in the long term in both young and older animals before exposing the European public to the transgenic ice cream,” a statement by the panel said.
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