Public Wants Biotech Food Tested

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Public Wants Biotech Food Tested By Kristen Philipkoski

 

 

Story location: http://www.wired.com/news/medtech/0,1286,60501,00.html

 

02:00 AM Sep. 19, 2003 PT

 

Most people believe the FDA should verify whether a genetically modified food is

safe before consumers eat it, according to a new study.

 

A Pew Initiative study found that 89 percent of the people interviewed believe

the FDA should not allow genetically modified foods on the market until they're

proven safe.

 

 

In reality, however, the agency does not independently test genetically modified

foods for safety. A federal law passed in 1992 states that genetically altered

foods are the same as any other food, and they therefore don't require FDA

review and approval.

 

Before putting genetically modified foods on the market, biotech executives

simply submit a summary of their data declaring the product to be safe and the

FDA returns a letter acknowledging it.

 

" When you look at these (FDA) letters, you realize that the FDA has not done a

safety assessment because there's no conclusion from the agency, " said Michael

Hansen, a senior research associate at the Consumers Union's Consumer Policy

Institute, which takes the position that the FDA should regulate genetically

modified foods.

 

Almost all the FDA's letters acknowledge that the company has deemed its biotech

product safe for consumption, and that the FDA takes the firm's word for it.

 

For example, Monsanto submitted a summary of its data on a new genetically

altered corn to the FDA in February 2002. The FDA's response said: " Based on the

safety and nutritional assessment Monsanto has conducted, it is our

understanding that Monsanto has concluded that the corn derived from these new

varieties is not materially different in composition, safety, and other relevant

parameters from corn currently on the market and that the genetically modified

corn does not raise issues that would require pre-market review or approval by

FDA. "

 

" What it comes down to is we basically have self-regulation, " said Ronnie

Cummins, national director of the Organic Consumers Association.

 

The FDA declared its current stance on genetically engineered foods in 1992. It

states that biologically engineered foods, which contain DNA from other

organisms, are no different and pose no greater safety concerns than any other

food.

 

A January 2001 proposal called for more stringent pre-market oversight of

genetically altered foods by the FDA but it was never enacted.

 

Activists aren't the only ones criticizing the FDA's process. The General

Accounting Office said in a 2002 report (PDF) that the FDA's oversight of

genetically modified foods could be enhanced.

 

One biotech executive believes the Pew study results don't necessarily mean that

consumers want more or better oversight from the FDA.

 

" I would say that the empirical evidence out there is that (the FDA's process)

seems to be working very well, " said Mitch Hein, president and CEO of Chromatin,

a biotech startup with a minichromosome, multigene technology for altering

plants. " That's why the public trusts it. "

 

Jim Maryanski, the FDA's biotechnology coordinator for foods, also said the

current process is working well, in an Associated Press article.

 

The Pew study found that although up to 75 percent of processed foods in grocery

stores contain genetically altered foods, only 24 percent of Americans believe

they have eaten them and 58 percent say they have not. Only 28 percent of

respondents said they believe genetically modified foods should be banned

outright in the United States.

 

According to the Pew Initiative, almost 100 million acres of crops in the United

States are genetically modified.

 

Critics like Cummins and Hansen believe genetically engineered foods could be

harmful to human health and should be regulated at least as stringently as new

food additives, which undergo thorough FDA testing and review as mandated by the

federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.

 

Even those who believe genetically modified foods are perfectly safe for human

consumption think it's a good idea for the FDA to take an active role in

reviewing biotech food products.

 

" The general consensus is, if you look at products on market today, there's no

reason to think they're posing any safety problems, " said Michael Taylor, a

fellow at Resources for the Future, and a former FDA, USDA and Monsanto

employee. " In my personal view, at least from a public confidence in the system

standpoint, (FDA regulation) is a desirable step to take. "

 

 

 

 

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