PR Newswire | December 21, 1999
WASHINGTON - A natural products trade group today filed a Citizen Petition with the Food and Drug Administration asking that the agency strengthen its evaluation process of genetically modified foods before allowing them to be sold. The National Nutritional Foods Association, which represents the interests of retailers and manufacturers of dietary supplements, natural foods and other products, was critical of the FDA's current policy that essentially treats genetically engineered foods the same as conventional varieties.
"A central tenet of NNFA's mission is to assure that the integrity of the American food supply is safeguarded," said the association's president, Patrick Toomey. "NNFA aims to ensure that the market entry of genetically modified foods does not outpace thorough scientific evaluations of their safety."
Under the FDA's current policy, developed in 1992, a manufacturer can market a new genetically modified food if it convinces the FDA, through a "private consultation," that the food is "substantially equivalent" to an existing substance already in the food supply. NNFA maintains that this process falls short in three areas:
- it is voluntary, not mandatory
- the substantial equivalence examination lacks well-defined risk assessment criteria
- the process lacks the transparency needed for adequate public health protection because it is not open to participation by independent experts
As grounds for more careful scrutiny of genetically modified foods, the NNFA cites the unintended and potentially harmful side effects of these foods, such as the 1996 discovery of a Brazil nut allergen in transgenic soybeans and the more recent toxic effect of genetically modified corn on the Monarch butterfly.
"Nothing should be taken for granted when assessing the safety of a particular substance intended for human consumption that is derived from the emerging science of genetic engineering," the petition stated.
To view the full petition, visit NNFA's Web site at www.nnfa.org.
Established in 1936 and headquartered in Newport Beach, Calif., the National Nutritional Foods Association is the oldest and largest, non-profit trade organization dedicated to protecting and advancing the natural products industry for both retailers and suppliers.
SOURCE: National Nutritional Foods Association
CONTACT: Karie Anderson, Communications Manager, NNFA
949-622-6272 ext. 228
Web site: http://www.nnfa.org/
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