Due to the potential risk to humans and to animals, GM testing has become an important process.  Many consumers will also want to know if the foods they are consuming contain any genetically modified or GM ingredients, so in order to provide accurate labelling on products food manufacturers many have to undergo GMO testing.

It is not just food products that will need to be tested for genetically modified ingredients but also animal feed products as this can also cause GM ingredients to get into the food chain.  Final food products will need to be tested as will the raw materials such as rice, flour and soya which are used to produce food items which will eventually go on sale to the general public.  So basically in order for testing to be accurate the ingredients need to be fully traceable from the start to the finish of the food manufacturing process.

There are also tests that will need to be carried out in order to ensure that GM foods are safe for consumption.  This type of testing is used to assess any unwanted effects of the genetically modified ingredients and will be very thorough as certain standards will need to be achieved if the product is to be approved for consumption.

The public attitude towards GM food testing appears to be shifting.  In a recent survey almost two thirds of the people questioned said that they agreed that the Government should support experiments on Genetically Modified crops in order that farmers may decrease the amount of pesticides they use.   The overall findings of this report will be a boost to scientists who hope to win over the public and to GM food supporters who believe that this technology could be the answer to global food shortages.

However there is a long way to go and GMO testing will remain an important part of the food certification process as it will help manufacturers to correctly label their products and consumers to know exactly what they are eating. Whilst GM crops may be hailed as the answer to global food problems, consumers are still demanding information on how safe these products are so they can make the decision whether to eat them or not.