The U.S. and Canada blocked efforts this weekend at a G8 summit to create an international body that would have policed global food standards and instituted a ban on genetically modified crops and hormone-treated meat until a scientific panel assessed the safety of the foods. French Pres. Jacques Chirac pressed for the new measures, but the U.S. argued that the issues should be resolved by the World Trade Organization. In the end, the G8 simply agreed to study ways to improve food safety, and suggested that a new round of world trade talks starting this November in Seattle look for ways to broaden trade rules so countries can curb free trade for environmental or social reasons.
