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Issues in the Regulation of Genetically Engineered Plants and Animals


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A range of options exists to enhance the regulatory review process to address new challenges future products of agricultural biotechnology are likely to present, although opinions vary about the need for change, according to Issues in the Regulation of Genetically Engineered Plants and Animals, a report by the Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology.

Issues in the Regulation of Genetically Engineered Plants and Animals
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Regulating Genetically Engineered Crops and Foods for Food Safety

Scientific reviews have generally found that the use of genetic engineering to modify food crops is unlikely to raise any unique food safety concerns that could not also be posed by conventional breeding techniques (NRC 1987 and 2000). While the nature of the risks is not unique, however, genetic engineering does enable plant breeders to use genes from virtually any other organism, dramatically expanding the genetic palette available. In some cases, the genetic material and its expressed proteins may not previously have been found in food. This wide range of genetic material, and the relative lack of experience with novel genes and their proteins, are the principal justifications that federal regulatory agencies use for their increased oversight of genetically engineered (GE) crops and foods (FDA 1992).

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) share responsibility for the safety of food derived from GE crops. The FDA has general responsibility for food safety issues that might be posed by food derived from GE crops (OSTP 1986). The EPA has responsibility for food safety regarding pesticidal substances produced by some GE crops to resist insects (40 CFR Parts 152 and 174).

This chapter reviews the federal regulatory system governing food safety, as it applies to GE crops and foods. It contains four sections. The first is a brief summary of some of the key issues under debate regarding the safety of food products derived from GE crops. The second describes the FDA’s and the EPA’s existing regulatory systems regarding food safety, and how those systems apply to GE products. The third section describes in detail the key issues and concerns regarding the existing regulatory system. And the fourth section outlines possible approaches—both administrative and legislative—for addressing those issues and concerns, should policy makers decide that reforms are needed.

Read Full Section: Regulating Genetically Engineered Crops and Foods for Food Safety (PDF)

Date added:
Apr 1, 2004
Project:
Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology
Topic:
Food Safety
References:
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References:

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Personal Communications Cited
James V. Aidala, former Assistant Administrator, Office of Prevention, Pesticides, and Toxic Substances, Environmental Protection Agency. September 16, 2003.
Thomas Bundy, Deputy Assistant General Counsel (Retired), Regulatory Division, Office of General Counsel, U.S. Department of Agriculture. November 30, 2003.

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