FDA Will Hold Meetings on GMO Foods

October 19, 1999

The Food and Drug Administration will hold a series of meetings in three major cities in November and December on the issues of bioengineered foods. FDA officials will outline the agency's policy to ensure the safety of biotech foods, and the public will be asked if this policy should be changed.

Meetings will be held Nov. 18 in Chicago, Nov. 30 in Washington, DC, and Dec. 13 in Oakland, CA.

Under FDA policy, developers of bioengineered foods are expected to consult with the agency before marketing such foods to ensure that all safety and regulatory questions have been addressed fully. FDA policy also requires special labeling for a bioengineered food in certain circumstances.

A bioengineered food would need to be called by a different or modified name if its composition was significantly different from its conventionally grown counterpart or if its nutritive value has been altered significantly. Special labeling would be required if consumers needed to be informed about safety issues such as the possible presence of an allergen that would not normally be found in the conventionally grown product.