The meats that hit your dining room table are often from farmers who have the ability to use genetic modification in the raising process. The FDA is now set to regulate these modifications for healthier foods and healthier animals.
Genetically Modified Foods - Meats
The process of creating genetically modified foods, even animals for use is not a new process. For decades, animals have been genetically altered for use in the pharmaceutical industry. Today, farmers are closer than ever before to having the approval of the FDA to sell these same animals for human consumption.
The FDA guidelines have been set in place to test the animals grown as genetically modified foods for safety in regards to human consumption. The animals that are currently being modified on a genetic level for use in the food industry include cattle, pigs, fish, and goats.
The Guidelines for Genetic Modification
The official guidelines in regards to genetically modified foods used in the meat industry will not be passed into approved and inforceable regulations until after the 18th of November. Until that date, the public has the opportunity to weigh in on the genetic debate and propose questions or raise concerns that may lead to changes in the policies and guidelines. So public awareness and involvement is very important.
The Concern of the Consumer
The questions that have come up to date include the topics of the secretive nature of the approval process, the knowledge and training of FDA official in the area of genetic modification of animals, labeling practices of genetically modified foods, release of information regarding the specific modifications made and genes used and release of DNA specifics regarding the animal DNA used in modification.
Consumer concerns also shed light on the effectiveness of the guidelines pertaining to the impact on the health of the animals who are grown through genetic modification.
Health concerns regarding the genetic modification of animals for human consumption are high with the FDA requiring companies to submit guidelines describing how they would dispose of genetically modified animals who have died and whether or not the animals would need to be sterilized after death if a public health hazard was of higher risk.
Legal Precedence and Genetic Modification
The rules and regulations regarding the genetic modifications of animals and genetically modified foods for human consumption are covered under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. This act defines a drug as any substance that alters the “structure or function” of a human or an animal.
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