Plants with stacked genetically modified events: to assess or not to assess?

• Highlights with relation to the manuscript ‘Stacked GM (genetically modified) events: to assess or not to assess?
• Rethink the current food/feed safety assessment of stacked GM events in Europe.
• Safety assessment procedures should adjust to new developments in plant breeding.

The principles for the safety assessment of genetically modified (GM) organisms (GMOs) are harmonised worldwide to a large extent. There are, however, still differences between the European GMO regulations and the GMO regulations as they have been formulated in other parts of the world. One of these differences relates to the so-called ‘stacked GM events’, that is, GMOs, plants so far, where new traits are combined by conventional crossing of different GM plants. This paper advocates rethinking the current food/feed safety assessment of stacked GM events in Europe based on an analysis of different aspects that currently form the rationale for the safety assessment of stacked GM events.