The New Science of Food:
Facing Up to Our Biotechnology Choices
Prepared by
Mark Edelman, Iowa State University
David Patton, Ohio State University
A Farm Foundation Project
www.farmfoundation.org
The Problem:
• Use of biotech tools such as genetic engineering in
our food has increased dramatically during
the1990s.
• The new tools of biotechnology transfer genetic
material from one plant or animal to another to
create new characteristics.
• Many consumers have not been aware of
biotechnology in the foods they eat.
The Biotech Food Opportunity
•
•
•
•
•
Better food
More nutritious
Increased farm productivity
Improved environment
Helps solve malnutrition
The Potential Uncertainty
• Potential for human health impacts
• Potential for environmental impacts
• Potential contamination and costs for nonbiotech foods & producers
• Long-term impacts difficult & costly to
assess
The Issues
Involve:
• Ethics
• Individual to International Decisions
• Views about humanitarianism
• Economics
• Quality of Life
The Challenge
• To reconcile the promise & uncertainty
• To decide the incentives and approaches
that should be used to shape the choices for
– individuals buying food,
– national food policy, and
– the global food system.
# 1: Let Science & Enterprise
Guide Our Food System
• Encourage rapid development to
– Feed the world, prevent diseases, make foods
healthier, improve the environment, and protect
our food crops from harmful pests.
• Greater incentives for innovation
• Regulatory approval based on science
– by agency experts & required tests and
information supplied by biotech companies.
• Product liability laws help assure safety.
Approach 1: What Can Be Done?
• More research on biotech benefits for
consumers with findings available to public.
• Increase patent rights to reward innovation
& have patents accepted by other nations.
• Adopt science-based food safety standards
internationally.
• Shorten approval for biotech products if no
content difference to other approved foods.
Approach 1: Potential
Benefits
&
Drawbacks
• Better foods &
environment.
• Long-term health
& environment
impacts?
• Free enterprise
incentives &
rewards.
• Unnecessary
costs avoided.
• Inadequate
disclosure for
some people.
• Concentration of
control.
• No evidence of
harm to health.
• Product liability
may not stop
contamination.
Approach 1: A Key Tradeoff
• Increases opportunity to produce healthier
foods, reduce world hunger, and fight
human, animal and plant diseases and pests.
• However, costs may increase for nonbiotech foods and people may remain
concerned about the health and
environmental risks.
# 2: Safety First: Protect Our
Health & Environment
• Mixing genes not mixed by nature.
• Precautionary principles, extra tests &
independent review before approval.
• If concern, do not proceed until the
broader scientific community verifies.
• Agencies have broader authority to
monitor and take quick action to
address any problems.
Approach 2: What can be done?
 Require verification of public concerns and caseby-case testing before approval.
 Require independent testing and review. Biotech
firms seeking approval currently do most tests.
 Establish independent biotech centers &
networks to improve monitoring and assess
health, economic, and environmental impacts.
 Alter patent laws for living matter to reduce
barriers on sharing data, test verification,
collaboration and future discovery.
Approach 2: Potential
Benefits
&
Drawbacks
• Avoid health &
environ. impacts.
• Better
monitoring may
prevent harm.
• Access to patent
info helps verify
test & new prod.
• Wider access to
broader science.
• Unnecessary rise
in food prices.
• Delays benefits,
discoveries &
life may be lost.
• Adds politics &
hurdles.
• Ethical issues
not resolved.
Approach 2: A Key Tradeoff
• Extra precautions help ensure that
all consequences are identified
before potential harm occurs.
• However, more regulation and
monitoring may increase food
costs & reduce innovations.
# 3. Encourage Multiple Food
Sources & Full Disclosure
• Alternative foods--organic, natural, biotech,
and conventional non-biotech foods.
• Flexibility to keep future options open.
• Avoid more concentrated control.
• Biotech not likely to decline unless more
evidence of harm.
• Right to know what is in food & methods.
• Benefits and risks may vary by individual/
right to protect self & apply preferences.
Approach 3: What can be done?
 Incentives to encourage a wide variety of
foods & production systems.
 Organize community food systems,
networks, & new ways of marketing food.
 Disclosure & labeling provides clearer
choices. Identity preserved to strengthen
monitoring and long-term research.
 Strengthen laws to assure competition &
countervailing market power in food system.
Approach 3: Potential
Benefits
&
Drawbacks
• More options &
flexibility for
people & system.
• Flexibility only
for those with
ability to pay.
• Disclosure helps
track impacts.
• May not result in
healthier, safer,
less costly food.
• Potentially more
assurance.
• Potentially more
informed choice.
• Too much info is
confusing.
• Wasted $ if no
food difference.
Approach 3: A Key Tradeoff
• Alternatives and disclosure provide
opportunity for individuals & system
to make more informed choices.
• However, too much information
confuses people & food costs may
increase.
Let the Deliberation Begin.