CNN Food Central - FDA wades into genetically modified foods controversy

(CNN) -- Changing the genetics of plants such as corn, cotton and soybeans can mean greater crops and even more nutritional value, according to farmers and agricultural company officials at a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) hearing in Chicago Thursday.

But critics of genetically modified foods are calling on the federal agency to require safety trials and environmental impact studies for these foods, and to mandate separate food labels.

Genetic engineering involves taking a gene from one food and inserting it into another to enhance it. Some soybeans have been genetically altered to tolerate weed killers. Some corn has been modified to fight off insects and some potatoes are being engineered to absorb less fat when they are fried.

The labeling of these foods is causing great controversy. Thursday's meeting in Chicago was the first of three scheduled FDA public hearings to discuss the issues surrounding genetically modified foods.

Most people are unaware when they eat genetically modified foods because most do not have to be labeled. The FDA has said such labeling is not necessary because the products are as safe as unmodified foods.

"It (labeling these foods) would tell the consumer that the government thinks there's something to be concerned about," Bill MacLeod, former director of the Federal Trade Commission's Bureau of Consumer Protection, said at an industry-organized news conference before the hearings.

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But critics disagree.

"The FDA seems more interested in promoting biotechnology than scrutinizing it," Charles Margulis, a spokesman for the environmental group Greenpeace said at the FDA hearing.

The federal agency does require labels when foods contains a known allergen, for example a gene from a peanut. But the FDA stands by its decision that most of these foods do not require labeling.

"We believe our policies and processes in this area are well-grounded in science and we have an excellent track record in applying our policy," said Jane Henney of the FDA.

'Messing with mother nature'

Food industry groups support the FDA policy, saying the current system of checks and balances is working.

"There isn't a food manufacturer or food producer in the world that has anything to gain by developing and bringing to market a product that has health risks," Joyce Nettleton of the Institute of Food Technologists.

A recent Time Magazine poll found almost 60 percent of Americans said they would avoid genetically engineered foods if they were labeled.

There were protests outside of Thursday 's hearing, about 100 people, some of whom said they were not allowed into the hearing. The protesters had a papier-mache cow, a six-foot inflatable green Frankenstein and carried signs reading "GMos" or genetically modified organisms.

"We shouldn't be messing with mother nature," said Prem Glidden, a protester who runs a company that sells organic foods and body care products. "We don't want our food supply to be run by multinational corporations who only want to make money."

The second FDA public hearing on the issue is scheduled for November 30 in Washington. The final hearing will be held on December 13 in Oakland, California.

Medical Correspondent Linda Ciampa and TheAssociated Presscontributed to this report.

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Food and Drug Administration
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