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The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued
a proposal that stopped short of mandating that manufacturers label these
foods but it does strengthen the oversight of genetically
modified foods.
The proposal would require
food companies to provide scientific evidence
that a genetically altered
or bioengineered food is safe,
and to notify the FDA at least 120 days in advance of its intent to market
foods that have been genetically altered.
The agency also issued guidelines for companies that
voluntarily label food as being made with or without genetically altered
ingredients. Terms such as "GM"
(genetically modified), "GMO"
(genetically modified organism) and "modified"
would not be acceptable.
The guidelines would also apply to animal feed, which
can eventually become part of the food chain.
However, consumers deserve the right to choose for
whatever reason and voluntary labeling benefits the company, not the consumer.
In the US, genetically-altered
ingredients can be found in hundreds of products but, often,
consumers are not aware that they are consuming such
ingredients. Opposition to these foods abroad has led to the
passage of laws banning imports in some countries and requiring that food
companies label genetically modified food.
Several years ago, a gene from the Brazil nut was
introduced into soybeans intended for animal feed and caused an outbreak
of allergies when the beans were inadvertently used to produce food for
human consumption. More recently, genetically-altered corn that was also
destined for animal feed ended up in taco shells.
FDA Proposal New York,
New York January 17, 2001
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