Panel Discussion/ Q&A: Plants as new sources of medicinals: Production of protein pharmaceuticals in food and non-food plants

Abstract

Regulation of transgenic organisms should not be based on the process used to produce them but rather than on the host and the added trait. Highly activist and more moderate public-interest organizations and the regulatory system and associated costs have debilitated public-sector agricultural biotechnology. There is concern over the possibility of adulteration of food if PMPs are produced in crops such as corn, soy and canola. The Grocery Manufacturers of America has asked for a safety evaluation of the implications if PMP-producing food crops are commingled in the food supply; reasonable standards are needed.