As much as 70 percent of the processed food available for sale today in the United States contains one or more ingredients that have been genetically modified. That means genes from one plant ? in some cases, from an animal ? have been artificially introduced into another plant. As the practice has spread, so has the controversy surrounding it. For the past five months, New Hampshire has been part of an unusual effort to draw citizens into the debate and the group just reached some conclusions. NHPR?s Doug MacPherson reports.
THE "JUST FOOD CITIZENS PANEL" IS THE PRODUCT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE?S OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY, DIRECTED BY TOM KELLY. THE IDEA OF A CITIZEN PANEL WAS DEVELOPED IN DENMARK. ALTHOUGH ITS BEEN REPLICATED IN MORE THAN A DOZEN COUNTRIES, THE ?JUST FOOD PANEL? IS ONLY THE SECOND TIME THE MODEL HAS BEEN USED IN THIS COUNTRY. KELLY SAYS AS WITH OTHER CITIZEN PANELS, THE IDEA HERE WAS TO INVOLVE ORDINARY PEOPLE IN THE DEBATE OVER THE USE OF A NEW TECHNOLOGY.
TAPE TOM KELLY 442 our goal was to link the principals of democracy with our food system. So there were several features of what we did that reflected that priority. One is the model itself that we selected which puts expert knowledge in the service of citizen deliberation. :18
CITIZENS APPLIED TO AN INDEPENDENT BOARD TO BECOME PART OF THE PANEL. THE BOARD SCREENED THEM FOR BIASES. THE DOZEN SELECTED THEN BEGAN AN INTENSE STUDY OF ALL ASPECTS OF GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISMS, OR G-M-O?s. PANELISTS THEN PROVIDED INPUT INTO THE SELECTION OF A PANEL OF HALF A DOZEN EXPERTS. LAST WEEK, THE CITIZEN PANELISTS SPENT TWO DAYS GRILLING THE EXPERTS. AMONG THEM WAS BARRY COMMONER, FOUNDER OF THE CENTER FOR THE BIOLOGY OF NATURAL SYSTEMS IN NEW YORK. COMMONER IS ALSO WIDELY CONSIDERED TO BE A FOUNDER OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENT.
TAPE BARRY COMMONER 234 there are many experimental results that show that there are unexpected, and un-understood consequences of trans-genic operations. :18
COMMONER SAYS UNTIL SCIENTISTS KNOW MORE ABOUT EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENS WHEN GENES ARE TRANSFERRED FROM ONE ORGANISM TO ANOTHER ? UNCERTAINTY WILL BE INHERENT IN THE PROCESS. BUT THAT VIEW WAS BALANCED BY OTHER EXPERTS. F-J-FRANCIS, A PROFESSOR EMERITUS OF FOOD SCIENCE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS, SAYS THE BENEFITS OF GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOOD FAR OUTWEIGH THE RISKS.
TAPE F.J. FRANCIS 255 The stakes are too high to deny this movement on a worldwide basis. I?m not the least concerned that it?s going to be derailed b/c worldwide opinion is running in the opposite direction. I?m eternally optimistic that this is going to be a good thing for mankind. :16
SUPPORTERS OF G-M-O?S POINT TO INCREASED CROP YIELDS, INCREASED NUTRITIONAL VALUE, AND DECREASED NEED FOR HERBICIDES AND PESTICIDES.
AFTER HEARING FROM THE EXPERTS, THE PANELISTS WERE SEQUESTERED MUCH LIKE A JURY. THEY SELECTED RALPH JESSEMAN, A CORRECTIONS OFFICER FROM MILAN, TO DELIVER THEIR FINDINGS.
TAPE RALPH JESSEMENT Without exception, the experts stated they could not quantify or qualify the potential harm from genetically modified organisms. This panel concludes that g-m-o-s are severely under-regulated and under-researched. :15
THE PANEL POINTED OUT THAT PRESENTLY, NON-G-M-O FARMING PROVIDES MORE THAN ENOUGH SAFE AND NUTRITIOUS FOOD TO FEED EVERYONE IN THE WORLD. MOST FOOD SCIENTISTS AGREE THAT HUNGER IS LARGELY A MATTER OF WORLD POLITICS ? NOT FARMING.
ANOTHER PANELIST, JANET WARD, A MOTHER FROM CONTOOCOOK, DELIVERED THE PANELS RECOMMENDATIONS.
TAPE JANET WARD An applicant of g-m-o products must be required to submit sufficient data to demonstrate that their product is reasonably certain to cause no harm. :12
SEVERAL PANELISTS SAY THEY WERE SHOCKED TO LEARN THAT MOST OF THE AVAILABLE INFORMATION ABOUT G-M-O?S COMES FROM COMPANIES THAT MARKET THEM.
THE PANEL SAYS THE U-S DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, AND THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY SHOULD COORDINATE A REGULATORY FRAMEWORK.
TAPE JANET WARD Products that are determined to have a significant percentage of g-m-o?s, must be labeled clearly and accurately. The label shall include a g-m-o license number. :14
AT PRESENT, THERE?S NO WAY TO KNOW IF THE FOOD YOU CONSUME IS GENETICALLY ENGINEERED.
JUST WHAT INFLUENCE THE PANEL?S RECOMMENDATIONS WILL HAVE ISN?T CLEAR. PANELISTS THEMSELVES WILL DECIDE HOW THEY WANT TO DISSEMINATE THEIR FINDINGS. THEY PLAN TO PRESENT THEM TO STATE LAWMAKERS, AS WELL AS TO ALL FOUR MEMBERS OF THE STATE?S CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION.
PANELISTS SAY THEY?RE WELL AWARE OF THE ALREADY WIDESPREAD PROLIFERATION OF G-M-O?S, ESPECIALLY IN STAPLES SUCH AS CORN AND SOYBEANS. BUT MARY DURLAND, A SOCIOLOGIST FROM CHESTERFIELD SAYS IT?S NOT TOO LATE FOR PEOPLE TO THINK ABOUT WHAT COMES NEXT.
TAPE MARY DURLAND 379 we?ve been using the metaphor of the horse out of the barn. But there are a lot more horses in the barn. and we would like to see those let out a bit more slowly. : 11
FOR N-H-P-R NEWS, I?M DOUG MACPHERSON.
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