Two new corn proteins are now exempt from food safety limits

US environmental regulators just exempted two new corn proteins from food safety limits. This means corn engineered with these proteins can be sold without specific maximum residue levels.

For decades, new genetically engineered crops had to prove their safety by meeting specific residue limits, which was a slow and expensive process. This exemption means that for these two proteins, the regulators have decided they are safe enough that no such limits are needed. This makes it easier and faster for companies to bring new genetically modified corn varieties to market.