Colorado State University Extension
SafeFood Rapid Response Network
SAFEFOOD NEWS - Summer 2000 - Vol 4 / No. 4
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Federal Government Announces New Initiatives on Food Biotechnology
The Clinton Administration recently announced a series of food and agricultural biotechnology initiatives designed to strengthen science-based regulation and consumer access to information. In a press release issued May 3, 2000, the Administration stated, "These steps are intended to build consumer confidence, ensure that regulations keep pace with the latest scientific and market developments and provide that voluntary product claims, such as labels, relating to biotechnology are truthful and not misleading."
Efforts designed to reinforce the strength & transparency of science-based regulation of biotechnology include:
- A 6 month interagency assessment of Federal environmental regulations pertaining to agricultural biotechnology;
- Changes to FDA regulations ensuring that the FDA is informed at least 120 days before new agricultural biotechnology crops or products are introduced into the food supply, and that submitted information is available to the public; and
- Increased federal funding for competitively awarded, peer-reviewed research focusing on current and future safety issues.
Efforts to enhance information for consumers and farmers include:
- Development of FDA guidelines for voluntary efforts to label food products as containing or not containing bioengineered ingredients in a truthful and straightforward manner, consistent with the requirements of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act;
- Creation of reliable testing procedures and quality assurance programs by USDA in collaboration with farmers and industry to help differentiate non-bioengineered commodities from bioengineered ones;
- Enhancement of domestic and foreign public education and outreach activities to improve understanding of the nature and strength of the U.S. regulatory process; and
- Enhanced efforts by USDA to provide farmers with reliable information on markets to inform their planting decisions and with best farming practices for new crop varieties.
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