May 3/00 / Reuters/AP
WASHINGTON - U.S. Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman was cited as saying on Wednesday the U.S. government cannot be simply a cheerleader for biotechnology and must assure consumers that it is an impartial regulator of genetically-altered food, adding, "The whole idea here is to ensure there is public confidence in the safety of the food supply."
The stories say that the Clinton's administration's policy change was intended to address criticism from environmental and consumer groups that the FDA's voluntary system in place for the past eight years needed an overhaul. But some groups criticized the change as merely cosmetic, and failing to go far enough to monitor human and environmental safety.
The administration's new initiative also requires the USDA to oversee new scientific tests intended to detect the presence of genetically-altered ingredients.
Glickman said there will be no major changes in USDA procedures and the new regulations will not directly affect U.S. farmers.
Further, food labels will not have to disclose any genetically engineered ingredients, the Clinton administration decided Wednesday, instead adopting a series of industry-backed steps intended to assure the public that the products are safe.
Joe Levitt, director of the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, was quoted as saying, "The scientific evidence does not show that these products are any different from a health and safety standpoint."
Rebecca Goldburg, a senior scientist for Environmental Defense was quoted as saying, "This plan is like some fat-free foods -- it's not very good and there isn't much substance," but she did, however, praise the administration's decision to review its environmental regulations to see if they are adequate.
Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., who is sponsoring a mandatory labeling bill, was quoted as calling the administration's plan "a hollow step. ... The voluntary labeling guidelines now under administration consideration would be a hollow step because the decision to label is left up to the manufacturers, most of whom have already chosen not to label."
Another Democrat, Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich, was cited as saying the White House plan was an attempt to deflect legitimate concerns of consumers, adding, "If the FDA can require pre-market testing of artificial colors and preservatives, then why can't it do the same for genetically engineered foods? These proposals are inadequate."
A farm state Republican, Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa was cited as saying U.S. regulators must find ways to assure American and foreign consumers that genetically altered foods are safe and that the FDA's switch to mandatory consultations on new biofoods should help, adding, "I see it as a safeguard measure, albeit one we shouldn't really have to take. As producers, we can't just assume that we can shove food down the throats of consumers around the world... they have to have confidence in what they are eating."
(posted without permission)
