The safety of biotechnology is widely discussed in the European press. Confidence in biotechnology in the United States is due largely to our confidence in the government agencies responsible for food safety. In fact, three federal agencies must review and approve the use of GMOs in the United States. Scientists for regulatory agencies in the European Union, Canada, Japan and Australia, plus the World Health Organisation, have also studied any possible risks - and have determined that the GMOs that are on the market today are safe for human health. Another reason why American consumers have generally accepted these products is that they aren't really anything new.
All plant breeding involves the genetic manipulation of plants.
Virtually all of the agricultural products sold and consumed have been altered by this kind of cross-breeding. Genetically modified foods are as safe as the original plants from which the genes were taken. Every country has the right and the responsibility to establish a policy of food labelling. Since May 1998, the European Union has required the labelling of GMO products as such. However, for the reasons I have just outlined, the United States has taken a different position.