EPA is monitoring field tests of the corn and could impose restrictions on its use, if necessary, she said. Critics of the technology say the agencies depend too heavily on companies to conduct research and report problems, and that the science is not advanced enough to guarantee the safety of the food. Environmental and consumer groups are pushing the Clinton administration to require the labeling of foods that contain biotech ingredients. We don't know what the products will prove to be in the long run. Backers of genetic engineering insist it is not fundamentally different from traditional breeding, in which one plant might be cross-pollinated with a wild cousin to produce a hardier variety.
Genetic engineering involves splicing a single gene from one organism to another.
A major concern of scientists is making sure transplanted genes do not cause allergic reactions. Biotech ingredients, primarily from soybeans and corn, already are in wide use in supermarkets and fast-food restaurants, in everything from tortilla chips to soda and baby formula. When consumers realize that, they will demand such foods be labeled, Silbergeld said. They want to make the choice for themselves. The food industry fears such labeling would stigmatize genetically modified ingredients.