Tag: biotechnology
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FDA Announces Plan to “Advance Plant, Animal Biotechnology Innovation”
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Scott Gottlieb has issued a statement announcing the agency’s Plant and Animal Biotechnology Innovation Action Plan. Gottlieb describes the plan as identifying priorities in three areas: (i) “advancing human and animal health by promoting product innovation and applying modern, efficient and risk-based regulatory pathways;” (ii) “strengthening public outreach…
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USDA Releases Proposed Bioengineered Ingredients Standard
The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has released the proposed National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard, which would establish “a mandatory uniform national standard for disclosure of information to consumers.” The proposal defines “bioengineered food” as food “that contains genetic material that has been modified through in vitro recombinant deoxyribonucleic…
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Gene-Edited Food Groups Plan Public Perception Approach
As gene-edited foods advance and move “closer to supermarket shelves,” agricultural and biotechnology groups are looking to avoid a dispute over public perception of the technology, according to the Wall Street Journal. Gene-editing technologies such as CRISPR/Cas9, TALEN and zinc-finger nucleases are different from techniques that create genetically modified organisms (GMOs), which involve the insertion of…
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FDA Announces Upcoming Science Board Meeting
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced it will hold a public advisory committee meeting of its Science Board on June 26, 2017, in Silver Spring, Maryland. The Science Board will hear an update on FDA’s biotechnology activities related to animals and plant-derived food as well as a report from the National Antibiotic…
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FDA Budget Includes GMO Information Campaign
A budget plan passed to fund the U.S. government until September 2017 reportedly includes $3 million to pay for an information campaign about genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in food. As a partnership between the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Department of Agriculture, the campaign will apparently seek to counter “misinformation about agricultural…
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Congress Passes GMO Labeling Bill
The U.S Congress has passed legislation (S.764) requiring food and beverage manufacturers to disclose the use of ingredients made with genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Crafted by U.S. Sens. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) and Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and backed by the Organic Trade Association (OTA), the bill defines bioengineered foods as those intended for human consumption that…
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NAS Report Discusses Benefits and Risks of Gene Drive Research
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NAS) has released a study examining research into man-made gene drives, a type of gene editing that allows for the spread of gene modifications “throughout a population of organisms intentionally.” Titled Gene Drives on the Horizon: Advancing Science, Navigating Uncertainty, and Aligning Research with Public Values, the…
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Biotech Firm Sues Beverage Cos. Alleging Probiotic Patent Infringement
Ganeden Biotech Inc. has filed a lawsuit against American Brewing Co., Inc. and its 2015 acquisition, B&R Liquid Adventure, alleging the companies infringe its patents on a particular strain of probiotic bacteria through the marketing and sale of their búcha® beverage. Ganeden Biotech, Inc. v. Am. Brewing Co., Inc., No. 16-0876 (N.D. Ohio, filed April 13,…