That is to say, if a tomato injected with a flounder gene still looks, tastes, feels, and grows like a tomato, and if no known allergen or toxin has been introduced, the FDA sees no reason to test the altered tomato. First, a distinction needs to be made between safe for human consumption and safe for the environment. Human safety is a question for which we don't yet have a complete answer. There simply hasn't been enough testing done on these types of plants and animals to provide us with adequate information. Indeed, there are some real consumer and scientific fears that merit attention.
Environmental safety is also a big question around which little testing has been done.
Laboratory tests are beginning to show that genetically modified plants have the ability to cross with wild species. Monsanto itself admits the potential exists and even expects pests to mutate and develop resistance to genetically engineered crops within five years. Resistance is likely to increase if farmers utilize crops with built-in pesticides because the farmer loses the ability to manage the amount and frequency of pesticide applications. Furthermore there is no evidence that farmers are reducing pesticide application when employing these GE crops. Actually the contrary seems to be true because the applications can be heavier to combat the surrounding unwanted plants.