AMA: Trust but Verify Genetically Modified Foods

By Emily P. Walker, Washington Correspondent, MedPage Today

CHICAGO — When it comes to genetically altered foods, the American Medical Association (AMA) has adopted a “trust but verify” policy: the foods seem safe, but they still need to be checked out.

The policy adopted Tuesday at the AMA’s House of Delegates meeting says that even though there is no proven risk to foods coming from plants or animals whose DNA has been tweaked, the association would still like to see such foods go through a mandatory pre-market safety approval process.

Genetically altered foods first hit supermarket shelves in 1996. The term refers to any food that comes from a crop or animal that had specific changes introduced into its DNA via genetic engineering, such as making a certain grain more resistant to pests. According to committee testimony, 94% of soybeans, 88% of corn, and 90% of cotton has been altered genetically in some way.

The AMA report supports the findings of a 1987 National Academy of Sciences white paper that stated there is no evidence that genetically altered foods pose any hazards. With the new policy, the AMA is on record as concurring there is no science-based justification for requiring food manufacturers to label their products as “genetically modified.”

Although the AMA does not support labeling, it does support pre-market safety assessments, AMA board member Patrice Harris, MD, stated in a statement. That includes testing for major changes in nutrient or toxicant levels, which Harris called a “preventive measure to ensure the health of the public.”

Emily P. Walker, MedPage Today Washington Correspondent, covers Congress, FDA, other health agencies in Washington. She also covers an array of health-care events in the nation’s capital, focusing on intersection of policy and medicine. After earning a BA in journalism and political science at Western Michigan University, she worked at the Kalamazoo Gazette, Congressional Quartely, and wrote for several medical newsletters.

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