U.S. regulators need to step up scrutiny of bioengineered foods and require labels on them to avoid the kind of public backlash that occurred in Europe, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was told Tuesday. A few demonstraters were dressed as orange and black monarch butterflies, in a colorful reference to a Cornell University laboratory study that showed corn engineered with a built-in pesticide killed the monarch larvae.
Scientists have yet to determine if the same corn grown in fields is as risky.
Other demonstrators urged passersbys to avoid chips, candy, sodas and other foods that may contain soybean oil, corn sweeters or other ingredients from genetically modified crops. Inside, FDA officials held a panel discussion with critics and supporters of agency regulations. While several university scientists defended the FDA's regulations as adequate to protect the public, consumer groups said that wasn't good enough. The FDA now requires labels on altered foods only if the nutritional content has been changed or allergens added. Unless the FDA requires companies to submit test data and detailed information about proposed biotech foods, Americans may follow the lead of Europe and reject genetically modified foods, she said.