Proceedings on GM Food and Feeds, Implications for US Domestic Policies

The Pew Initiative on Food and Agriculture held a workshop “Commercial, Safety, and Trade Implications Raised by Importation of Genetically Engineered Ingredients, Grain or Whole Foods for Food, Feed, or Processing” last year to examine issues related to the potential importation into the U.S. of new varieties of genetically engineered (GE) crops and the various implications this could have on the U.S. regulatory system and food industry. Some of the key issues discussed include:

• The difficulties that would be faced by U.S. government agencies and the U.S. food chain in attempting to identify potential GE imports;
• A possible increase in the accidental mixing of GE with non-GE products as more countries begin cultivating transgenic food crops; 
• The risks posed by GE imports may be more serious for business interests than consumer health; and
• The need for international discussion aimed at developing a rational system for monitoring and enabling trade in genetically engineered organisms (GEOs) that can ultimately benefit producers of GE products worldwide and those in the food industry.

The conference proceedings are now available online at http://pewagbiotech.org/events/0907. For more information contact Kara Flynn: kflynn@pewagbiotech.org.