As the 30-year-old regulations on genetically modified crops and biotechnology products were becoming obsolete and fall short of gaining public confidence, the Obama administration said Thursday that it would update GMO laws.
According to a report from the New York Times, White House science adviser John P. Holden, along with three senior White House officials, stated in a blog post that while the current regulatory system for biotechnology products effectively protects the health and the environment, advances in science and technology since 1992 have been altering the product landscape.
They also stated that the complexity of the current system can make it difficult for the public to understand how the safety of biotechnology products is evaluated. Hence, the administration said that it is open to public inputs.
Al Jazeera said that the administration will clarify the roles and responsibilities of concerned agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency, US Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration.
NYC Today added that Obama's administration ensured that it will come up with such regulations that will make the functions of these agencies very clear. Similarly, it will also create a strategy that will make regulators understand about the risks of future biotech products.
The current system known as the coordinated framework was announced in 1986 and updated in 1992 at a time when genetically modified crops were at its infancy and were not yet released. The framework distributed responsibility on these three agencies for regulating GMOs.
Critics of biotechnology crops have long said that the current system is too lax, and they will no doubt push for tougher regulations.
The White House added that they will hold three public meetings in different parts of the US, starting with Washington this coming fall. The new framework will welcome comments before it will be completed.
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