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Issues: Growing and ProductionPMA Overview: BiotechnologyPeople have been eating foods processed through biotechnology for many years. These often-used biotech processes include breeding and selection techniques and fermentation, which have been used for centuries to produce cheese, bread, wine, and many other foods. In fact, virtually all plants used for food have been genetically modified to create new plant varieties with desirable traits. Foods developed through biotechnology are in the marketplace. Some of the earliest food crops were soybeans, field corn, canola, and wheat. More recently, the Rainbow variety of papaya from Hawaii was genetically engineered to resist a virus that was destroying the crop. Biotechnology TechniquesIn discussing biotechnology or genetic engineering, it is important to understand basic genetics. All genes — both plant and animal — are made from the same four chemicals, known as A, G, C, and T. They are arranged in a few to hundreds of thousands of combinations to form genes or the DNA of living organisms. Genes are then formed together to make chromosomes. Traditional breeding and selection methods have been used successfully for years. However, the process is very time-consuming, sometimes requiring up to 20 years to develop a new plant variety. This is because traditional methods are random and imprecise, involving the passing of thousands of genes with each generation. It is difficult to guarantee that the undesirable traits will not be passed along with the desired traits and to screen for all possible trait combinations. This results in the tedious effort of selecting out those varieties that are most desirable and continuing the process until the final plant variety is achieved. New biotechnology techniques — specifically genetic engineering — are an extension of older techniques and apply the same principles that have been used for years. However, new biotechnology is more precise and direct than traditional breeding and selection and allows for the transfer of genes from one species or genus to another. This is because new biotechnology allows for the transfer of a single genetic trait — rather than thousands as in traditional breeding—in a predictable and controllable manner. A wider range of new traits can be introduced into food without the introduction of extraneous and undesirable genes and in a more timely fashion. The following are all examples of genetic tools that fall under the term biotechnology: genetic engineering, enzyme and protein engineering, cell and enzyme immobilization technology, fermentation technology, biosensor, monoclonal antibody and DNA probe technology, plant and mammalian cell tissue culture, polymerase chain reaction, and anti-sense RNA and DNA technology. Benefits of BiotechnologyGenetic engineering has been used for many years in health care research. Most of the human insulin currently on the market is produced by genetically engineered bacteria. For food, biotechnology also holds great promise in revolutionizing old processes like fermentation and cross-breeding. Biotechnology allows for the development of crops that resist disease and pests and, in turn, reduce our dependence on agricultural chemical controls. Genetically engineered products could exhibit improved nutritional content, better taste and texture, longer shelf life, or better tolerance to processing. They could be faster-maturing, drought-resistant, and temperature-tolerant which could result in more efficient use of the land. Regulation of Food BiotechnologyThe agencies primarily responsible for regulating biotechnology in the United States are the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which ensures that products are safe to grow; the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which ensures that products are safe for the environment; and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which ensures that products are safe to eat. Products are regulated according to their intended use, with some products being regulated under more than one agency. Before commercialization, genetically engineered plants must conform with standards set by state and federal marketing statutes such as state seed certification laws; the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act; the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act; the Toxic Substances Control Act; and the Federal Plant Pest Act. Safety of Food BiotechnologyThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration is confident that foods derived from plants developed by new biotechnology will be just as safe as those produced by traditional methods. The FDA has stated that it will regulate new varieties of foods developed through biotechnology by applying the same standards as for all food under the federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. This regulatory scheme employs the same safety requirements used for foods derived from traditional techniques. The World Health Organisation issued a June 2005 report on a study it conducted on the application of modern biotechnology in food production: “Modern food biotechnology, human health and development: an evidence-based study." The report noted: “The first major GM food was introduced on the market in the mid-1990s. Since then GM strains of maize (corn), soybeans, rape (canola), and cotton have been marketed internationally in several areas. In addition, GM varieties of papaya, potato, rice, squash, sugar beet and tomato have been released. It is estimated that GM crops cover almost 4% of total global arable land. “The development of GM organisms (GMOs) offers the potential of increased agricultural productivity or improved nutritional values that can contribute directly to enhancing human health and development. From a health perspective, there may also be indirect benefits such as reduction in agricultural chemical usage, enriched farm income, crop sustainability and food security, particularly in developing countries….GM foods currently available on the international market have passed risk assessments and are not likely to, nor have been shown to, present risks for human health.” The report noted that ongoing risk assessment is important. FDA believes that most substances currently being introduced into foods by these new techniques are proteins, carbohydrates, fats, and oils that are already components of foods or are substantially similar to substances currently found in food. This means that substances currently being introduced into new plant varieties are generally recognized as safe. Nonetheless, the FDA will still review all new products prior to commercialization to assure the public that this is so. Firms developing foods with new biotechnology are conducting extensive molecular and chemical tests to ensure that new varieties are similar in composition to the parental varieties. The FDA will require labeling for substances developed through biotechnology that have characteristics that are significantly different from what is expected from that food or that could raise safety questions, such as changes in important nutrients, increased toxicants, new substances in the food, or potential allergenicity. For example, if a tomato had a peanut allergen in it, labeling would be needed to alert consumers to the presence of the allergen. On the other hand, corn that is genetically engineered to resist drought would no more warrant labeling to identify the method of development than any other new corn variety. It would require labeling, however, if it contained a suspect allergen from a commonly allergenic food or if its nutrient composition was significantly different from other corn varieties. PMA’s PositionThe Produce Marketing Association believes that sound science must be the basis for decisions about all food safety issues. Based on extensive scientific research and extensive review by the U.S. government and international food and science experts, biotechnology has been deemed to be a safe and viable technology. PMA supports the government's decision regarding the regulation of produce developed through traditional as well as new biotechnological methods.
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