By allowing genetically engineered (GE) foods to be marketed and sold in the United States without proof of safety, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is -- quite blatantly -- breaking the law.

U.S. law follows a precautionary approach when it comes to food safety. In other words, the law requires that “new additives to food be demonstrated safe through standard scientific testing before they are marketed.”

Rather than holding off on introducing potentially dangerous GE crops and foods to the American public, government officials have taken the stance that the precautionary principle is “an unjustified constraint on business.”

Meanwhile, FDA officials claim that the foreign pieces of DNA that are spliced into GE plants are exempt from food additive laws because they are “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS).

This, too, is a patent falsity. To qualify as GRAS, the additives must be regarded as safe by an overwhelming consensus of qualified experts. Clearly, there is still much controversy among experts as to the safety of GE foods, and even the FDA’s own scientists have warned of the potential for GE food to produce harmful substances.

Further, on top of having an overwhelming consensus of safety, to be recognized as GRAS, GE foods still have to be proven safe via standard scientific tests. This, too, has not been done.

Only You -- Not the FDA -- Can Protect Yourself From GE Foods

Of course, the FDA is no stranger to breaking rules. It did just that back in April when it allowed doctors with financial ties to the drug industry to serve on an advisory panel that was deciding whether the painkiller Arcoxia was safe -- less than a month after the Agency had proposed a stricter conflict-of-interest policy that should have prevented this.

The moral of the story? Do not assume that something is safe just because the FDA says that it is. As it is currently configured, this Agency is simply not going to protect you.

The dangerous effects of genetically modified crops are already beginning to surface, even as the FDA continues to support their supposed safety.

As it stands, about seven out of 10 products in your grocery store have been genetically altered. The best way you can voice your opposition to the unsafe and law-breaking way in which these products have made it to the market is to simply not buy them. To learn how to avoid these potentially health-harming foods as much as possible, check out my past advice on how to identify whether your food has been genetically modified.

Today, Yesterday, and Tomorrow July 22, 2007