In This
Issue:
CODEX
ADOPTS 50 NEW FOOD STANDARDS
The
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization
(WHO) announced that the Codex Alimentarius Commission has adopted
new guidelines on how to assess and manage the risks of genetically
modified (GM) foods. Codex has adopted at least 50 new food safety
and quality standards, some of which were revisions of the old
guidelines.
The
new guidelines, which were concerned more on food safety, encompass
broad principles about the analysis and management of risks related
to foods derived from biotechnology. These guidelines are uniform
across the 169 member countries of Codex.
Provisions
of the guidelines include pre-market safety evaluations and product
tracing for recall purposes and post-market monitoring. The guidelines
cover the scientific assessment of DNA-modified plants (such as
maize, soya, and potatoes), and foods and beverages derived from
DNA-modified microorganisms (such as cheese, yoghurt, and beer).
The
Commission also included provisions for assessing the allergenicity
of food products. A new standard for irradiated foods that accept
higher levels of radiation on food products making them safe for
longer periods of time, and a new standard that will improve the
safety of meat by establishing principles of meat hygiene were
also adopted.
New
quality standards for many food items were also approved. An example
of this is the amount of cocoa in chocolate products. The new standard
requires that the minimum cocoa content to be clearly marked on
the packaging of all chocolate flavored products. The new standard
sets a minimum of 35 percent of cocoa solids in products marketed
as "chocolate," and a minimum of 20 percent in "chocolate
type" products.
According
to Alan Randell, Secretary of the Codex Commission, "the Commission
made some very important decisions for food safety. The most important
of these was to extend food safety systems to small and medium-sized
enterprises, especially in developing countries. This will help
these small businesses produce safe food for consumers and improve
their prospects for trade." Read the full news release at http://www.fao.org/english/newsroom/news/2003/20363-en.html.
Similarly,
an article on Codex documents that are relevant to the crop biotechnology
sector can be downloaded at http://www.isaaa.org/kc.
UK
REPORT ON THE COSTS AND BENEFITS OF GM CROPS
The
United Kingdom's Strategy Unit has released its report into the
overall costs and benefits of commercial cultivation or non-cultivation
of genetically modified (GM) crops. The report entitled "Field
Work: Weighing up the Costs and Benefits of GM Crops" analyzed
crops that are currently available and possible developments over
the next 10-15 years.
Secretary
of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Margaret Beckett
commissioned the report as one of three strategies for the public
debate on GM crops in the UK.
The
main conclusions of the report are that:
- Existing
GM crops could offer some cost and convenience advantages to
UK farmers;
- However,
any economic benefit to the UK is likely to be limited, at least
in the short-term. Only a narrow range of existing GM crops are
currently suited to UK conditions, and weak consumer demand is
likely to limit take-up;
- Future
developments in GM crops have the potential to offer more wide-ranging
benefits, to farmers and to consumers - possibilities include
GM crops with agronomic benefits more suited to the UK; GM crops
delivering direct health benefits (e.g. delivering foods with
reduced allergenicity or added nutrients); or non-food GM crops
used as a source of pharmaceuticals and vaccines;
- However,
the overall balance of future costs and benefits will depend
on public attitudes, and on the ability of the regulatory system
to manage uncertainties.
The
report highlights that GM crops are one area in which GM technology
has significant potential to contribute to the UK's future economic
prosperity and sustainability. However, GM crops are just one possible
tool for achieving agricultural goals.
A range
of potential opportunities await the use of GM crops in the UK.
Nevertheless, consumers and retailers will play an important part
in shaping the future role for GM crops.
For
more information visit http://www.number10.gov.uk/output/Page4127.asp
CAST
RELEASES IPM REPORT
The
Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) has just
released a new Task Force Report, Integrated Pest Management (IPM):
Current and Future Strategies. The report is a comprehensive analysis
of the approaches and issues involved in pest control. It is a
reevaluation of a pest management approach addressed by a CAST
report in 1982.
The
report defines IPM as "a sustainable approach to managing
pests by combining biological, cultural, physical, and chemical
tools in a way that minimizes economic, health and environmental
risks. "Essentially, it is a system of practices that leads
to the most economical and environmentally friendly actions being
taken to control pests," says Dr. Kenneth Barker of the North
Carolina State University and the chair of the multidisciplinary
team of 20 academic contributors.
Barker
noted that many of the technologies that now impact IPM did not
exist 20 years ago. Hence, the study reflects the successful integration
of these new and improved tools.
The
report examines the environment as a series of distinct but interlinked
ecosystems. It considers cultural practices, biological controls,
conventional and new chemistry pesticides, transgenic pesticidal
plants, precision application techniques, and diagnostic tools.
Seven
key issues were identified that must be addressed in future IPM
strategies. These include: impact of biotechnology on agriculture;
genetic diversity and pest adaptability; ecology-based management
systems; and increased understanding of microflora/fauna in the
environment.
The
complete report is available at http://www.cast-science.org.
Inquiries may be addressed to Linda M. Chimenti, CAST Managing
Scientific Editor at lchimenti@cast-science.org.
EURO NETWORK
ON GM SAFETY ASSESSMENT
The
European Network on Safety Assessment of Genetically Modified Food
Crops (ENTRANSFOOD) met at the Istituto Superiore di Sanità,
Rome to discuss food production using modern biotechnology, and
social acceptance.
Among
the discussion highlights include:
- A
recommendation for the establishment of a Permanent Evaluation
and Discussion Platform. This could lead to the development of
test methods and risk analysis models, and of new procedures
for a broad stakeholders' involvement in the risk analysis process
for these foods.
- Development
of a step-wise working procedure for the safety assessment of
foods derived from GM crops, which offers a high level of safety
assurance for the consumer. This strategy is also applicable
to the new generation of GM food crops with improved nutritional
characteristics.
- The
need for post-market surveillance of GM foods as an instrument
to confirm pre-market safety assessment. Its success depends
on whether specific health endpoints can be identified and whether
the intake of the GM food component can be realistically estimated.
Questions raised during the pre-market safety assessment should
be solved before a product is released on the market.
- The
risk of gene transfer from foods derived from GM crops that are
currently commercially available is deemed negligible. The use
of marker genes expressing resistance to antibiotics in use for
medicinal or veterinary purposes was evaluated. If the antibiotic
is widely used or is a tool of last resort, such genes should
be avoided.
- The
availability of sequence information on the genetic modification
and of relevant reference materials is crucial for the development
of GMO detection methods. This requires joint efforts for global
exchange of information on GM events on the market and under
development.
- Public
concerns should be explicitly addressed and incorporated into
the risk analysis process. Further research is needed on how
to formalize public engagement and consultation into new working
procedures and its impact on regulatory procedures and institutions
involved.
The
Network, sponsored by the European Commission, consists of 45 participating
research centers and 62 experts representing various sectors of
society in Europe.
For
more information, visit http://www.entransfood.com/
GM SUGARBEET
TO IMPROVE CROP PROFITABILITY
Planting
genetically modified sugarbeet in Europe may offset the potential
adverse effects on crop margins in the light of the European Union
Commission's proposal to reform its current agricultural policy.
This is the conclusion of Leonard Gianessi and colleagues in their
report on "Plant Biotechnology: Potential Impact for Improving
Pest Management in European Agriculture: Sugarbeet Case Study."
One
of a series of case studies recently completed by the National
Center for Food and Agricultural Policy, Washington, DC, the sugarbeet
case study provides a summary of the potential impacts of herbicide
(glyphosate)-tolerant sugarbeet in Europe.
The
research team estimates the aggregate cost savings for herbicides
and their application for UK sugarbeet growers at (20 million from
planting the herbicide tolerant sugarbeets which is roughly equivalent
to £13 million. The projections are similar to a previous
UK study that estimated that the total economic benefit to UK sugarbeet
growers would consist of savings on herbicides and their application
taking into account the cost of the herbicide tolerant technology
fee and herbicide cost.
The
study, however, noted that although European sugarbeet farmers
could achieve even higher yields with early overall applications
of glyphosate than with conventional herbicides, they may opt to
use banded glyphosate applications early in the season followed
by late broadcast applications. Yields would then be equivalent
to conventional herbicides.
The
report is available online at http://www.ncfap.org/reports/Europe/Sugarbeet.pdf
MUSLIM COUNCIL SAYS YES TO GM FOODS
The
Indonesian Ulemas Council or MUI, the highest Muslim body in the
country authorized to release religious rulings or labels of halal
(lawful or permitted) on processed food products distributed in
the country, has given the go-signal for imported genetically modified
foods.
The
Jakarta Post quoted Professor Aisyah Girindra, head of medicine
and food supervision at the MUI, as saying that "Despite there
being no official ruling on GMO-based food products, as long as
it comes from plantations, such as soya bean or corn, there are
no problems."
Aisyah
noted that without a ruling to the contrary, Indonesian Muslims
remain free to consume GMO products.
For
the full report visit http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/asia/story/0,4386,198597-1057701540,00.html?
For
the Muslims, all foods are considered halal except for a few which
include swine/pork and its by-products, animals improperly slaughtered,
and food contaminated with any of these products.
OVERCOMING BIOTECH
OBSTACLES
Opposition
to biotechnology could stall breakthroughs or prevent the use of
products that have demonstrated benefits and immense potential.
However, there are ways of overcoming such obstacles. So says,
Peter Lacy, Director of International Research at Bryant Christie
Inc., in Seattle, USA in a paper entitled " Deploying the
Full Arsenal: Fighting Hunger with Biotechnology" published
in the SAIS Review (Vol. 23, No. 1 Winter-Spring 2003) issue.
Lacy
forwards several suggestions:
- Establish
a global system for setting safety standards that rely on scientific
evaluation and risk assessment procedures. Mutual recognition
agreements, in which countries agree to recognize each other's
approval processes, can also help facilitate trade in GM products.
- Develop
a shared vision by the international community of the role of
GM crops that gets beyond current intellectual property rights
issues such as the corporate patenting of gene strains.
- Strengthen
regulatory scrutiny and transparency to achieve broader public
acceptance of GM products.
- Least
developed countries (LDCs) should take into account the specific
and varied needs, conditions, and circumstances of countries
in any assessment of biotechnology's potential and risks. It
is essential for LDCs to stay abreast of the latest developments
in biotechnology in order to make informed decisions.
Visit http://muse.jhu.edu for
the paper's abstract.
SA LAUNCHES CAPE
BIOTECH
South
Africa has launched its third government-funded Biotechnology Regional
Innovation Centre (BRIC) called Cape Biotech. It was awarded funding
to develop a business plan for the country's National Biotechnology
Strategy which is being implemented by the Department of Science
and Technology.
Cape
Biotech promotes and develops the biotechnology sector in the Western
Cape region of South Africa. It represents the interests of all
stakeholders in the region, including industry, academia, government
and service providers. In addition, it networks, facilitates, and
shares information with biotechnology sectors. As such, it functions
as a global portal into the Western Cape biotechnology industry.
The
announcement on the launching is available at http://www.ahbfi.org.
More on Cape Biotech at http://www.cbi.org.za.
USAID AWARDS
$15M TO PBS
The
Program for Biosafety Systems (PBS) was awarded by the United States
Agency for International Development (USAID) $14.8M to assist developing
countries to enhance biosafety policy, research, and capacity.
The program will be initially implemented in Bangladesh, India,
Indonesia, Philippines, and East and West Africa.
Dr.
Joel Cohen, Project Manager of New Technologies for Agricultural
Research, International Service for National Agricultural Research
(ISNAR), leads the consortium of professionals and institutions
that will run PBS.
Says
Cohen, "modern biotechnology has significant potential for
improving agriculture in developing countries, but any nation wishing
to benefit from biotechnology needs a functional biosafety system.
Through this project, we hope to assist our partners in determining
how to best create such a system, making sound decisions based
on scientific evidence."
For
more information, email j.hodur@cgiar.org, j.falck-zepeda@cgiar.org,
or j.komen@cgiar.org.
BLUMWALD GIVEN
HUMBOLDT AWARD
Eduardo Blumwald of the University of California, Davis has been selected to
receive the prestigious Alexander von Humboldt Award in recognition of his
research on salt-tolerant crops. During the past decade, the plant biologist
worked on the impact of salinity on crops. Salty irrigation water damages most
plants as it affects water intake through root cells.
The award, named after the 19th-century German naturalist and geographer, is
given annually to one individual who has made the most significant contribution
to American agriculture during the past five years.
In 1999,
Blumwald and colleagues were able to genetically engineer salt
tolerance in Arabidopsis. They were then able to develop a genetically
engineered tomato plant that thrives in salty irrigation. Research
is being done to hopefully develop other salt-tolerant crops so
that they thrive in salty irrigation water and salt-damaged soils.
More
on UC Davis at http://www.ucdavis.edu
ANNOUNCEMENT:
UK NATION
DEBATE ON GM
Join
the United Kingdom's first nationwide discussion on genetically
modified (GM) issues. Local authorities and network groups are
organizing meetings around the country. Feedback from these meetings,
including views submitted online, will be given to the Government
to help them make informed decisions on GM. Submit your views online
by visiting http://www.gmnation.co.uk.
The debate closes on July 18, 2003. | 
