Bioengineered Foods

What is biotechnology?

Biotechnology refers to scientific techniques that allow DNA to be modified. DNA is the genetic material of all living things.

What are bioengineered or genetically engineered foods?

Bioengineered food has had its genetic makeup altered to give the plant a desirable characteristic or trait. For example, after a virus threatened Hawaii's papaya crop, researchers genetically modified papaya seeds to make them resistant to the virus. Since 1994, more than 50 genetically engineered foods have been developed, including tomatoes, soybeans, corn, squash potatoes, papaya, sweet corn, and beets. Soybeans, for example, have been genetically altered to resist a herbicide used for weed control. Corn has been bioengineered to make it toxic to a type of caterpillar, which reduces the need for pesticides to control the caterpillars.

Is bioengineered food safe?

Gene modification involves placing proteins in food to alter it in some way. Some groups are concerned about the possibility that the proteins inserted in plants could trigger food allergies. There has been one recall of genetically modified corn. The corn was approved for use in animal feed but accidentally got into human food in 2000. There were consumer complaints of adverse reactions from eating products containing the modified corn. European countries are concerned about the safety of bioengineered food. They refuse to permit any bioengineered food to be sold in Europe.

What agency or agencies regulate bioengineered food?

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is responsible for food safety. This includes all food produced by bioengineering. The FDA also regulates food labeling. The U.S. Department of Agriculture regulates the field growth of bioengineered crops, and the Environmental Protection Agency regulates pesticides used on crops.

Can bioengineered foods trigger allergic reactions?

The FDA requires companies to state on the label if the product includes a gene from common allergy-causing foods. Foods that trigger allergic reactions include cow's milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, nuts, wheat, peanuts, and soybeans. To date, the FDA has found no evidence that the new proteins being added to foods have caused allergies or other adverse reactions in consumers.

Does the FDA conduct pre-market review of bioengineered foods?

The FDA has proposed rules that would require manufacturers of bioengineered foods and animal feeds to notify the FDA before marketing the products. The manufacturer would also be required to show that the foods or feeds were as safe as conventional products. The FDA has also issued draft guidelines for labeling bioengineered products.

Copyright 2008 LexisNexis, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc.