Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Science Branch
Office of Biotechnology

Biotechnology? Modern Biotechnology? GM? GMO? GE? PNTs? What do these terms mean?

There are numerous terms and acronyms used in the area of biotechnology that can be confusing. Also, many countries use the same term to mean different things. For example, the European Union's definition of GM is the same as Canada's interpretation of GE. The following is the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's (CFIA) attempt at addressing some commonly used terms, of which only "biotechnology" and "novel trait" are used in CFIA legislation.

"Biotechnology" means the application of science and engineering in the direct or indirect use of living organisms, or parts or products of living organisms, in their natural or modified forms. This term is very broad and includes the use of traditional or conventional breeding, as well as more modern techniques such as genetic engineering.

"Modern biotechnology" is used to distinguish newer applications of biotechnology, such as genetic engineering and cell fusion from more conventional methods such as breeding, or fermentation.

Most often the term "biotechnology" is used interchangeably with "modern biotechnology".

"Conventional breeding" or "selective breeding" means propagating plants or animals sexually, selecting for certain traits. Using selective cross-breeding, people can produce different varieties of plants and breeds of animals.

GM stands for "genetically modified". An organism, such as a plant, animal or bacterium, is considered genetically modified if its genetic material has been altered through any method, including conventional breeding. A "GMO" is a genetically modified organism.

GE stands for "genetically engineered". An organism is considered genetically engineered if it was modified using techniques that permit the direct transfer or removal of genes in that organism. Such techniques are also called recombinant DNA or rDNA techniques.

Some international agreements like the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety use terms like "living modified organism" (LMO). The Protocol defines a LMO as a microorganism, plant, or animal that has been derived through modern biotechnology—using techniques such as recombinant DNA—that is capable of transferring or replicating its genetic material (DNA, or "deoxyribonucleic acid", is the genetic material found in all living organisms).

"Transgenic" organisms have a gene from another organism moved into them. For example, the plant product known as "Bt. corn" is a transgenic plant because it has a gene from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis, or Bt.. That gene produces a protein with pesticidal properties that, when incorporated into a plant, allows the plant to produce this protein, thus transferring the bacteria's natural defense to the plant.

"Mutagenesis" is the use of methods to physically change or "mutate" the genetic sequence, without adding DNA from another organism. Various chemicals and ionizing radiation can be used to invoke these changes. "Site-directed mutagenesis" can also be used to invoke changes in specific genes. In plants, such agents are used to change a plant's genetic sequence, and the plant can pass on these new characteristics to its offspring.

A new product may be considered "novel" if it has:

• a new trait(s) or characteristic(s), or
• a changed trait(s) or characteristic(s), or
• a new use as a food or livestock feed

PNT stands for a "Plant with a Novel Trait". The word "novel" may remind you of a work of fiction, but it also means "new"—a PNT is a plant that has a new trait or characteristic. A plant is considered to be a PNT if has trait(s) that are novel to that species in Canada. That is:

• the new trait is not present in stable, cultivated populations of the plant species in Canada, or
• the trait in the plant species is present at a level significantly outside the range of that trait in stable, cultivated populations of that plant species in Canada.

Traditionally, plants have been given new traits through selective breeding. Modern science gives plant breeders newer methods of introducing novel traits into plants, including mutagenesis and genetic engineering/rDNA.

A "novel feed" is livestock feed comprising an organism or organisms, or parts or products thereof, that:
a) is not set out in Schedule IV or V of the Feed Regulations, or
b) has a novel trait (as defined in the Feeds Regulations).

Novel livestock feeds are composed of or derived from one of these sources: microbial, plants, or animal.

Are all PNTs and novel livestock feeds evaluated?

To date in Canada, all plants that have been modified through modern biotechnology techniques are considered to be plants with novel traits, or PNTs, because they have new traits. Because new traits can also be introduced using methods besides modern biotechnology, all PNTs are evaluated in Canada. For more information on these evaluations, refer to the CFIA fact sheets “Regulating Agricultural Biotechnology in Canada: Environmental Questions” and “The CFIA Assessment Process and What is Expected from Industry”.

All novel livestock feeds must be assessed before they can be fed to livestock in Canada. This assessment considers the safety of the feed to:

• livestock
• humans, through exposure to the feed (for example, to workers or by-standers) or consumption of animal products
• the environment.

For more information on how novel feeds are assessed, refer to the Feed Section of the CFIA Web site.

How do Canadian regulations for PNTs and novel livestock feeds compare with those of other countries?

Regulations related to PNTs and novel livestock feeds differ from country to country. Many countries assess products by the method that was used to give a plant or feed a new trait—for example rDNA techniques—not by the fact that a new trait has been introduced. For example, in some countries, only GE plants are assessed for safety .

Canada is the only country that assesses plants and novel livestock feeds that have new traits introduced by any technique, including traditional breeding techniques and mutagenesis because the new traits may have an impact on the environment.

For a more detailed overview of the process Canada uses for assessing PNTs, visit the CFIA's Plant Biosafety Office Web site. For more information on novel livestock feeds, visit the CFIA's Novel Feeds Web site. Information on novel foods can be found on the Novel Food and Ingredients section of Health Canada's Web site.