Associated Press | October 18, 1999 | By LAURAN NEERGAARD, AP Medical Writer
WASHINGTON - The federal agency that ensures genetically engineered foods are safe will hold unusual meetings around the country this fall to hear what Americans think about bioengineered food.
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.
Buoyed by that backlash, U.S. critics have increased demands that bioengineered foods be labeled here as well, and two U.S. baby-food makers even announced they no longer would use biotech ingredients.
Health experts insist biotech foods now sold are safe. They already are used widely, from the soybeans and corn of tortilla chips and soft drinks to tomatoes stewed into spaghetti sauce.
"Although people have enthusiastically accepted new drugs made from biotechnology, some consumers have concerns about the use of this technology in foods," said Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala. "We need to ask why those concerns exist, and how we can address them."
So the 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.
Proponents insist genetic engineering is similar to traditional breeding, where plants are cross-pollinated to produce hardier varieties by sharing genes.
Genetic engineering is more precise, allowing a single gene to be spliced from one organism into another.
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.
While scientists look forward one day to bioengineering foods to be healthier, with a greater number of vitamins or other nutrients, crops have been genetically engineered so far mostly to make them hardier.
Corn can be engineered to produce a natural pesticide called Bt, one of the best natural pesticides organic farmers use. But it sparked environmental worries last spring when a study suggested pollen from such corn can spread onto nearby milkweed plants and kill the larvae of monarch butterflies, which feed on milkweed.
Copyright 1999 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
