What are ways to know when a new GMO is approved for commercialization in the US? Goal is to ensure GM product exported to Europe complies with EU GM regulations.

Expert response from Scott Kohne

NAFTA Market Acceptance Manager, Seeds & Traits Unit, BBASF

Friday, 07/11/2014 16:00

I see two separate points to address in your question. One is relative to compliance, and the second is about identifying a product as ready to commercialize by the product owner.

If you are trying to absolutely understand whether a specific GM product is in compliance with the regulations of a specific country (for example, the EU), then the best approach may be to contact the regulatory officials within that country and ask them about the status of that product in accordance with their regulations. However, if you are trying to understand whether a product has been commercialized (achieved market status) in a specific country, then I would suggest visiting Bio Trade Status at www.biotradestatus.org. This website is hosted by CropLife International, a biotech industry association. Here, you can identify specific products and correlated market status for those products that have been commercialized. This database identifies what countries the product can be cultivated in and which countries have approved it for import. The information contained in the database is generally available only to countries or markets with regulatory systems in place and that grant authorizations.