The American Medical Association Updates Position On Food Biotechnology

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During the December 2000 interim meeting of the American Medical Association (AMA), physician delegates adopted a favorable position and list of recommendations concerning crops and foods produced using biotechnology. The action followed an AMA Council on Scientific Affairs review of numerous reports and journal articles relating to agricultural and food biotechnology. The AMA found that foods produced through biotechnology “are substantially equivalent to their conventional counterparts,” and stated that there is a lack of scientific justification for special labeling of foods produced through biotechnology. The AMA recommendations include having science-based federal regulation of agricultural biotechnology and continued research of environmental impacts as well as the safety assessment of such foods. They also recommended ongoing research and development and for the government, industry, scientific and medical communities to increase consumer education and access to unbiased information on agricultural biotechnology. The report is expected to appear in the Journal of the American Medical Association later this year.