A coalition of more than 50 U.S. environmental, consumer, and farm groups yesterday demanded that the Food and Drug Administration adopt rigorous safety testing and mandatory labeling for genetically modified (GM) foods. The groups filed a formal petition with the FDA that forces the agency to accept more public comments on the controversial issue. Some biotech industry lobbyists said they expect the FDA to unveil new rules by May 1 that would require “consultations” between biotech food developers and the agency, rather than strict safety and environmental tests. Legislation has been introduced into the House and Senate that would require safety testing and labels on GM foods, but the bills are not expected to pass. As Donella Meadows writes in Grist, we need to put the brakes on rapidly expanding biotechnology until we can study how it affects humans and the environment.
