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Biotech industry tags ?GE-free? labels as misleading
Posted by: Prof. Dr. M. Raupp (IP Logged)
Date: January 14, 2009 12:03PM

The biotechnology industry remains firmly opposed to the labeling of food
products as ?biotech-free? or ?genetically engineered-free.? Such labels
wrongly plant the idea with consumers that biotech food products are
inferior or pose a health threat, Bill Olson, director of federal government
affairs for the Biotechnology Industry Organization, told Farm Bureau
members at an issues conference at the American Farm Bureau Federation?s
90th annual meeting.

?A non-GE label leads consumers to believe there is a difference between GE
products and those produced by traditional methods. There is no difference,?
Olson emphasized. All biotech food products on the market have gone through
a rigorous regulatory process that ensures they are safe for humans, animals
and the environment.

The Food and Drug Administration requires that nutrition information appear
on most foods, and any claims on food products must be truthful and not
misleading. Special labels are not required for biotech products. Labels
identifying food as biotech- or GE-free are allowed, which frustrates BIO
because the group believes such labels are misleading.

?The labeling debate last year focused on biotech and cloned animals ? two
distinct things,? Olson said. None of the bills introduced in Congress or
state legislatures in 2008 became law, and while the new Congress and
incoming administration have other priorities, Olson expects the issue to
resurface.

He said the biotech industry is optimistic that as consumers more fully
grasp the benefits of biotechnology, such as producing drought- and
cold-tolerant crops and minimizing the environmental impact of farming, they
will embrace the technology. Ultimately, it will come down to what must be
done to feed, clothe and fuel a booming global population. The number of
people in the world is increasing, but the amount of crop and grazing land
is not.

?The food labeling debate will continue, but we believe science is on our
side and American agriculture must continue to meet the needs of an
ever-expanding population,? Olson said. ?Food security will come through
scientific and technological advances.?

He also noted that studies have shown that while consumers may say they
prefer food to be labeled according to whether it was produced with
biotechnology or not, that does not translate into action at the retail
level.
www.checkbiotech.org



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