How Should Ethics Affect FDA Regulation of Genetically Engineered Animals?

The above is the title of an upcoming seminar sponsored by the Food and Drug law Institute and, in a nutshell, the speaker’s opinion is an unequivocal “there should be no effect at all”.

The promotional flyer I received has the following synopsis: “(the) FDA should resist the temptation to allow cultural fears to influence regulation of GE animals; oppose calls for mandatory labeling of GE animals based solely on their GE character; refuse demands to apply the precautionary principle to regulation of GE animals; and apply nuanced ethical analysis to animal welfare issues involving GE animals.”

Really?  The founding of the predecessor of the FDA was a direct response to a cultural shift in America (influenced in part by the publication of Upton Sinclair’s “The Jungle”); a call for government oversight of food safety and truth-in-advertising for the numerous tonics being pushed by snake oil salesmen. It stands to reason that, if the government is instituting labeling guidelines for organic food and the like, there should also be labeling for GE animal products as some Americans may wish to make informed choices en shopping for their families.

I can’t see why the FDLI is sponsoring this seminar and I cannot imagine what type of professional would take time out of their day to attend it.  Why not just let the U.S. Beef and Cattle Industry sponsor their own seminars for FDA policy makers and leave the FDLI out of it? With a 2010 retail equivalent value of $74 billion, they can afford it. The Industry could probably also absorb any costs that mandatory labeling would cause them to incur but I don’t imagine that issue will be raised in this objective, unbiased seminar.