FDA Issues Frankenfood Rules

www.EmploymentCrossing.com The US Food and Drug Administration has issued new rules under which it will review genetically engineered livestock, to determine whether there are any risks to humans, the environment and the animals themselves. The guidelines bring the decades-old technology of genetic engineering for animals one step closer to the market, Reuters reports. Genetically modified cattle, pigs, fish and goats are being produced for a variety of uses. Some produce pharmaceuticals in their milk or blood. Others are resistant to diseases such as mad cow, or produce healthier meat or milk. "Many kinds of genetically engineered animals are in development, although none has yet been approved by the agency for marketing," FDA Deputy Commissioner Randall Lutter said. The agency is inviting public comment on its proposals until November 18 and could modify them before they become final. Producers will be required to describe what www.EmploymentCrossing.comthey have inserted into the animal, and how it behaves in the animal, the impact on the animal's health, and show the product is not different from traditional food. Foods produced from some bioengineered animals will not have to be labeled, the FDA said. The FDA has the authority to regulate genetically engineered animals through the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. The measure identifies a drug as anything that changes the "structure or function" of the person or animal.