The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is consulting with EU member states to ascertain whether further data are available to help it with its renewed assessment of Monsanto"s GM maize MON 863; its evaluation, based on this input and the work of its GMO panel, is expected to take several weeks.

The European Commission asked EFSA two weeks ago to examine the recently published CRIIGEN study on genetically modified maize MON 863, and see whether it has any consequences for the authority"s existing opinion on the safety of Monsanto"s transgenic maize.