In 1992, the Federal Drug Administration, under the direction of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, released its Policy Statement on New Plant Varieties. This legislation governs how and what genetically modified foods can be manufactured and distributed in the United States. With the experience of two decades of scientific testing and public consumption of these foods, the debate around the legality, safety, and appropriateness of these procedures has become increasingly polarized. This paper examines public and scientific concerns and objections to that policy in both its domestic and international aspects.
