Transcript Regulations and Ethics - Killingly Public Schools

Regulations and Ethics
There are two sides to every issue…
Do I look like
a Frankenfood?
Pubic Perception vs. Prudent Regulatory Policy
Biotechnology - GMOs
• The United States grows many
transgenic crops.
~ 88% of the corn
~ 83% of the cotton
~ 90% of the soybean
Ingredients from these crops show up in
everything from fast-food milk shakes to
bags of tortilla chips.
Current Estimates and Genes Involved
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetically_modified_food
Trends in GM Crop Production
Trends in GM Crop Production
Consumer Acceptance – U.S.
Scientific & Ethical Issues
• Safety Issues - Human Health:
– Allergenicity of foreign proteins - e.g. - Nut proteins expressed in
plants
– Identity of food sources (religious consequences)
– Increased pesticide residue levels in plants made tolerant using
pesticide resistance genes
– Increased numbers of antibiotic resistant organisms due to
antibiotic selection markers
– Safety of “natural” pesticides in transgenic plants
– Altered nutritional properties
– Long-term safety issues – chronic toxicity
Scientific & Ethical Issues
Safety Issues: Environmental:
• Increased use of chemicals on crops, resulting in increased
contamination of our water supply and food
• The creation of herbicide-resistant weeds; “Superweeds”
• The spread of diseases across species barriers
• Loss of bio-diversity in crops
• Increased sickness and suffering for genetically engineered animals
• The disturbance of ecological balance
Potential Advantages
• Increased crop production - less loss due to plant
pathogens, drought, spoilage etc. - “feed the world”
• Increased nutritional benefits of food:
e.g. vitamin A in rice
• Increased animal product yield - “more milk” (e.g. rBGH
injected or transgenic cows)
• Production of biopharmaceuticals and possible “edible”
vaccines (e.g. E. coli toxin genes)
• “Safer food?” Less plant damage - lower levels of mold
infestation - lower amounts of mycotoxins
What is Regulation and Who is Doing
the Regulating?
• A principle, rule, or law designed to control or
govern
Agencies:
• USDA – United States Department of Agriculture
• EPA – Environmental Protection Agency
• FDA – U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Regulatory Agencies
 USDA, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
– Regulates environmental release of transgenic plants
 USDA, Food Safety Inspection Service
- Regulates transgenic livestock and poultry
 EPA
- Registers pesticides including those produced in plants
- Since no plant produced pesticides are toxic to humans,
an exemption has been granted from setting a tolerance
 FDA
- Regulates all feed and food not regulated by USDA