Regulatory Policy - RegWatch

RegWatch:

News & Analysis | REG•WATCH Blog | Press Room

Monday, January 23, 2006

Making Our Food Less Safe
The Detroit Free Press reports on a new industry-led effort to ban state and local governments from limiting genetically engineered products in their communities. In response to local initiatives in towns and counties in California and New England that ban raising genetically-engineered crops, state legislatures in18 states have put forward proposals "that would bar towns and counties from enacting local legislation to regulate genetically engineered seed." Initiatives have already passed in 14 of the 18 states.

Genetically-engineered foods pose a variety of known risks both to humans and to the security of the nation's food supply. Moreover, as a relatively new technological advancement, genetically-engineered products also pose many unknown risks as well. The legislation bars communities from enacting the precautionary principle, which would require new technologies be proven safe before being adopted.

Moreover, the situation exemplifies the problems facing state advocacy. Though states have often surpassed the federal government in achieving strong and responsive public protections, they have also presented an easy target for industry special interests whose legislative agendas may meet more resistance in the national arena. Just as state initiatives may present great opportunities for advancing social goods, they are also susceptible to the vast influence of corporate special interests.