More labs approved to test for GM cotton

Germany’s GOTS, the Organic Cotton Accelerator (OCA), and Textile Exchange have announced the renewal of the global ISO IWA 32:2019 proficiency test for a second year in a row, under technical support from Wageningen Food Safety Research. The joint project has reached a new milestone with an expanded list of twenty-one laboratories from Europe, Asia and North America who have successfully passed a new round of the proficiency test in 2021.

The initiative aims to provide the sector with an up-to-date overview of global laboratories that can currently conduct GMO testing as per the ISO IWA 32:2019 protocol – a common language among laboratories worldwide to screen for the potential presence of genetically modified (GM) cotton along the organic cotton value chain, GOTS said in a press release.

As qualitative GM cotton screening using the ISO IWA 32:2019 protocol is mandatory within the GOTS and OCS (Organic Content Standard) supply chain and OCA’s Farm programme, the expanded list will provide many stakeholders in Organic Cotton with the clarity they need for taking all reasonable precautions to prevent GM cotton in their organic cotton produce while supporting the rapid sector growth seen globally.

The updated overview of the laboratories that successfully passed the proficiency test in 2021 has now been jointly published by GOTS, OCA and Textile Exchange.

“At OCA, we believe that by working collaboratively we can make the necessary strides to bring the organic cotton sector improved transparency and integrity, so it is great to see more laboratories implementing the ISO IWA 32:2019 worldwide. This round of proficiency test enabled us to chart additional laboratories that can be contacted to reliably conduct GMO tests as per the ISO IWA 32:2019. The initiative has also expanded to more geographies compared to last year, including Turkey and the United States,” OCA’s programme manager at Mathilde Tournebizem said in a statement.

“This initiative shows that through partnership and alignment, we can bring the sector much-needed clarity on qualitative GMO testing in cottonseed, leaf, fibre and chemically unprocessed fibre-derived cotton,” Rahul Bhajekar, managing director at GOTS said.

“The ISO IWA 32:2019 proficiency test initiative will be repeated regularly. More laboratories are welcome to apply for the next round of proficiency test, which will likely be organised in Q1 2023,” Amish Gosai, supply network and South Asia senior manager at Textile Exchange said.