National Academy of Sciences Conducts First Public Meeting for GE Study

National Academy of Sciences (NAS) of the United States is embarking on a comprehensive study on genetically engineered (GE) crops. The study aims to examine the history of the development and introduction of GE crops in the United States and internationally, including GE crops that were not commercialized, and the experiences of developers and producers of GE crops in different countries. A committee was formed to review available information on GE crops.

The first public meeting was held on September 15-16, 2014 in Washington, DC. Twenty speakers were invited to present at the meeting, including Ian Baldwin of Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jon Entine of Genetic Literacy Project, Doug Gurian-Sherman of Center for Food Safety, and Gregory Jaffe of the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Comments from the general public were also solicited during the meeting.

The committee will also review the scientific foundation of current environmental and food safety assessments for GE crops and foods and their accompanying technologies, as well as evidence of the need for and potential value of additional tests. As appropriate, the study will examine how such assessments are handled for non-GE crops and foods.

For more details, visit http://www.geneticliteracyproject.org/2014/09/15/national-academy-of-sciences-convenes-panel-to-re-evaluate-gmos/ and http://nas-sites.org/ge-crops/2014/07/16/first-public-meeting-september-15-16-2014/.