Groups Criticize Article Critical of Biotech Procedures

October 7, 1999

Biotechnology Industry Organization and Grocery Manufacturers of America say an article in Nature, "Beyond substantial Equivalence," is "an unfounded attack on the concepts underpinning scientific safety review of biotech foods and ignores the record of rigorous safety testing applied to those products on the market." The article is published in today's edition of Nature.

"The assertion that government statutes do not adequately address genetically improved foods is thoroughly inaccurate," says L. Val Giddings, vice president for food and agriculture at BIO. "The U.S. Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act gives the Food and Drug Administration clear responsibility and authority to ensure that all food sold in the United States is safe, regardless of the methods used to product it, and provides ample authority to enforce this legal requirement."

Gene Grabowski, vice president of communications at GMA, says, "Scientific and regulatory authorities worldwide including the United States, Japan, United Kingdom, Canada and Europe have demonstrated confidence in the scientific principle of substantial equivalence as the basis to assess the safety of foods developed through biotechnology."

He adds, "Confidence in our scientific regulatory standards also has been a pivotal factor in Americans' strong acceptance of biotechnology." Eighty percent of American say they feel the food on grocery store shelves is safe, and more than 75% have confidence in the federal government to ensure food safety, says Grabowski.