John Tierney: “this amendment seeks a National Academy of Sciences study to examine three things: if the tests being performed on…”

“this amendment seeks a National Academy of Sciences study to examine three things: if the tests being performed on genetically engineered foods to ensure their safety is adequate and relevant; what type of monitoring system is needed to assess future health consequences from genetically engineered foods; and what type of regulatory structure should be in place to approve GE foods for human consumption. The reason for this amendment is simple. The growing public awareness of genetically engineered food has led to questions about their long-term health and safety. We have seen in Europe an example of what happens when the public loses confidence in the safety of food products. In Great Britain there has been a massive backlash which has effectively eliminated the use of GE ingredients in foods sold in grocery stores and restaurants there. There are significant differences, of course, between the situations in the United States and Great Britain. Due to past outbreaks of food-borne illnesses, consumers there lack faith in the regulatory abilities of their government when it comes to food safety. In the United States, we have maintained public confidence in our food regulatory system because we have been able to avoid and prevent such disasters from occurring. However, GE ingredients can be found in many of the foods that we commonly eat, including potato chips, oils, corn, soda and baby food.”