Associated Press/Reuters/Dow Jones | October 18, 1999
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which ensures genetically engineered foods are safe will, according to these stories, hold unusual meetings around the country this fall to hear what Americans think about bioengineered food.
The stories say that U.S. scientists have been surprised by growing public resistance abroad to bioengineered foods. Critics in Britain deride them as "Frankenfoods"; Thailand on Monday banned importation of genetically engineered food seeds; parts of Europe demand bioengineered foods be labeled as such so consumers can choose to avoid them.
Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala was quoted as saying, "Although people have enthusiastically accepted new drugs made from biotechnology, some consumers have concerns about the use of this technology in foods. We need to ask why those concerns exist, and how we can address them."
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration begins unusual public meetings next month to explain how it determines a genetically engineered food is safe, and to get the public's reaction.
Participants can tell FDA whether they want its food-safety policy strengthened or bioengineered foods labeled.
Meetings will be in Chicago on Nov. 18, Washington on Nov. 30 and in Oakland, Calif., on Dec. 13.
The FDA closely guards against bioengineering likely to cause allergic reactions. Food makers would not be allowed to put a gene from nuts into beans, for instance, because too many people have life-threatening nut allergies.
But some critics say genetic engineering might have unforeseen reactions, and FDA's policy of regulating biotech foods similarly to regular foods is not strict enough.
Joseph Levitt, head of the FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, was quoted as saying, "We are thinking broader than just traditional labeling," and that regulators would "look at alternative and creative ways like Web sites" for consumers to obtain information about foods made from GM crops.
Levitt was further quoted as saying, "There is an increased level of debate worldwide with respect to food derived from biotechnology. We want to be sure we are describing properly what's going on and look at ways the public can get more information. We have a detailed review process for new products derived from food biotechnology. The goal is to determine whether anything in these products differ from their original food counterpart.
The goal is to assure the same level of safety as with other food products."
At the meetings, the agency will have a panel explain the FDA's process and rules, then listen to public comments.
"We'll start with, 'This is what the FDA is doing now,' and then ask, 'Are modifications warranted?'," Levitt said.
The stories also note that labeling of biotech foods is shaping up as a contentious issue at the next round of World Trade Organization talks, due to begin in late November. Levitt said that the U.S. agency's action announcement Monday was "entirely independent" of the WTO talks that begin late next month in Seattle.
Jeff Barach, vice president of the National Food Processors Association, was quoted as saying, "There are certainly a lot of other ways to get information to the public other than labels."
U.S. food companies would prefer to use brochures, special displays at grocery stores or advertise toll-free phone numbers for consumers, he said. Earlier this month, two dozen food and farm groups launched a consumer-oriented Web site on GM food.
Rep. Dennis Kucinich, an Ohio Democrat who plans to introduce a bill this month to require labels on GM foods, was quoted as saying, "I expect the FDA will conclude that the public is best served by having labeling. Web sites would not be helpful to the two-thirds of Americans who don't have computers."
