As controversy over genetically modified crops mounts, a federal task force will report by the end of July on whether genetically engineered foods should be labeled so consumers know what they’re getting. The biotech industry complains that such labeling would be expensive and unnecessary. Meanwhile, a National Academy of Sciences panel is conducting a review of the risks and benefits of genetically modified crops and will make recommendations for government regulation this fall. At a public NAS hearing on Monday, a number of scientists warned that unless the government gets its act together and better regulates biotechnology, more and more problems will materialize, like the announcement last week that genetically modified corn can kill monarch butterflies.
