Microbial strains traditionally used to ferment food have a long history of safe use and are, therefore, considered as generally recognised as safe. Many of these micro-organisms have also functional attributes and are included among probiotics. New species and strains of bacteria with desirable technological and functional properties are constantly being identified; in addition, micro-organisms can be engineered by recently developed biotechnological tools in order to accelerate strain improvement. Although the potentialities of novel micro-organisms with better probiotic and technological properties are promising, it cannot be assumed that they share the safety record of traditional micro-organisms, since they may pose unique challenges for human health. The risk assessment and safety evaluation of novel micro-organisms must focus, primarily, on their potential harmful effects, both direct and indirect, upon host resident intestinal microflora. Genetically modified micro-organisms need further assessment for the complete characterisation of the DNA rearrangement and of the final product, in order to establish the "substantial equivalence" with the parental strain.