- Four GMO policies or government statements, two from the U.S. and the EU each, were analyzed to assess the position of each region in GMO safety:
1. The Genetically Engineered Food Right-to-Know Act (U.S.)
https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/113/hr1699
>Bill submitted to U.S. House of Representatives on April 24, 2013, sponsored by Oregon Representative Peter DeFazio
>Not a current policy but advocates regulations similar to those of the EU.
2. The FDA’s Role in Regulating Safety of GE Foods (U.S.)
http://www.fda.gov/forconsumers/consumerupdates/ucm352067.htm
>Outlines the FDA's current attitudes and practices towards regulation of GMO crop, especially labeling and safety assessment
3. Directive 2001/18/EC (EU)
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32001L0018
>Sets standards on the distribution and regulation of GMOs in the European Union such as the power of individual Member States in the process
4. Regulation 1139/98 (EU)
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/en/ALL/?uri=CELEX:31998R1139
>Focuses on mandates on the labeling of GMO products and sets standards for the information that must be included in the labels
Analysis
The data obtained from the 4 policies analyzed, The Genetically Engineered Food Right-to-Know Act and The FDA’s Role in Regulating Safety of GE Foods of the U.S., and Directive 2001/18/EC and Regulation 1139/98 of the EU, apply to the thesis of this project in that the latter two represent the extensive amount of regulation that the EU has officially enforced throughout its Member States such as the mandatory labeling of GMOs and policies promoting the scientific basis of GMO policies. In contrast, the U.S. currently has minimal federal regulation that could promote uniformity of handling of GMOs. For instance, although The Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) is the primary law governing the responsibilities and actions of The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the main governing body of GMOs, but it only briefly addresses GM foods.