Ventria's pharma rice threatens food supply
gmfreeman | 17.05.2007 21:57 | Bio-technology
USDA Approval of Drug-Producing Rice in Kansas Poses Threat to Food Safety,
Say Food Safety & Farming Groups
Say Food Safety & Farming Groups
Ventria's pharma rice threatens food supply
Center for Food Safety
Kansas Rural Center
Farmer to Farmer Campaign on Genetic Engineering
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, May 17 2007
USDA Approval of Drug-Producing Rice in Kansas Poses Threat to Food Safety,
Say Food Safety & Farming Groups
Tornadoes, Floods Could Contaminate Foods With Drugs Not Approved By FDA
20,000 Citizens, Scientists, Farming and Rice Organizations In Opposition
WASHINGTON - The Center for Food Safety, Kansas Rural Center and Farmer to
Farmer Campaign on Genetic Engineering object to USDA's May 16th approval of
drug-producing rice cultivation in Kansas, charging that it poses needless
risks to the safety of the American food supply. USDA's approval permits
cultivation in the Junction City area of up to 3,200 acres of rice genetically
engineered to produce pharmaceutical compounds that the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) has refused to approve. FDA approval is not required for
planting to proceed.
The groups note that the decision comes just a week after tornadoes in the
Kansas River Valley and heavy rains caused severe flooding in east-central
Kansas, including floodwaters on the Smoky Hill River, which passes just a mile
from one of the proposed planting sites. USDA had earlier dismissed concerns
raised by the groups that floodwaters could carry the pharmaceutical rice
into surrounding cropland and contaminate farmers' crops with drugs unapproved
by the FDA. USDA concluded in its environmental assessment that: "Extreme
weather events are rare and unlikely to occur in the area of the field trial."
"About two weeks ago, I was huddled with other travelers in a rest stop on
Interstate 70 as tornadoes were reported on the ground in the very area where
Ventria proposes to expand their production between Junction City and Topeka,"
said Dan Nagengast, Executive Director of the Kansas Rural Center.
"I also question whether the company has adequately engineered their water
control systems to deal with the amounts of torrential rainfall that are quite
common here. This just represents an unconscionable food safety
complication in a food-producing region. Why grow these crops in wide open
nature, when other companies have found it possible to use genetic engineering
techniques to produce biotech drugs in confined settings where food
contamination is not an issue?"
USDA approved the "pharma rice" plantings despite receiving 20,000 comments
in opposition from citizens, scientists, farming and rice groups. Groups
opposing the scheme include the USA Rice Federation, U.S. Rice Producers
Association, Riceland Foods, Mississippi Rice Council, Arkansas Rice Growers
Association, Missouri Rice Research and Merchandising Council, and Rice
Producers of California. In addition, fourteen independent scientists signed
a joint scientific assessment warning of potential adverse health impacts from
even trace-level exposure to one of the rice-produced drugs.
"These rice-grown drugs are unapproved by FDA, may be hazardous, and whether
hazardous or not could cause huge economic losses to Kansas farmers whose
wheat, soy or other crops become contaminated with drug rice," said Bill
Freese, Science Policy Analyst with Center for Food Safety.
"In 2002, corn containing an experimental swine vaccine got mixed into
soybeans and regular corn, which then had to be destroyed at a cost of several
millions dollars," said Nagengast. "Over the past year, rice farmers have
lost millions of dollars from contamination of their crop with unapproved
genetically engineered rice grown under USDA's watch," he added.
"The USDA needs to stop rubber-stamping schemes like drug-producing crops
that put farmers and the rural economies they support at great risk," said Bill
Wenzel, National Director of the Farmer to Farmer Campaign on Genetic
Engineering. "The USDA should be focused on representing farmers rather than
carrying water for the biotech industry," he added.
Developed by California-based Ventria Bioscience, the rice is engineered
with modified human genes to serve as a "biofactory" for production of
synthetic human milk proteins that have antimicrobial and other drug-like
properties. Ventria has proposed using the rice-extracted protein drugs to
treat infants with diarrhea, and as additives in infant formulas, yogurt,
granola bars and sports drinks, among other uses.
Last month, the Center for Food Safety released a report detailing the
potential human health impacts of Ventrias pharmaceutical rice and the FDA's
refusal to approve Ventria's rice-grown drugs. The report, "A Grain of
Caution," also disputes the need for Ventria's pharmaceutical rice, discussing
cheap and effective solutions for prevention and treatment of diarrhea
recommended by the World Health Organization and other public health experts.
The report notes that these existing solutions have cut deaths due to diarrhea
from 4.6 million a year in 1980 to 2 million today, and could save many more
lives if adequate funding were provided.
Center for Food Safety's "A Grain of Caution" is available at:
http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/pubs/Pharmaceutical%20Rice-FINAL.pdf
For Center for Food Safety's comments to USDA warning of contamination and
other risks, see:
http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/pubs/Biopharm%20Rice%20Kansas%20comments_final.pdf
Contacts:
Dan Nagengast, Kansas Rural Center, 785-748-0959
Bill Freese, Center for Food Safety, 202-547-9359 x14
Bill Wenzel, Farmer to Farmer Campaign on Genetic Engineering, 608-444-0292
__________
Center for Food Safety is a national non-profit membership organization
working to protect human health and the environment by curbing the use of
harmful food production technologies and promoting sustainable agriculture. In
2000/2001, CFS was part of a coalition that discovered widespread contamination
of the food supply with genetically engineered StarLink corn, which had not
been approved for human consumption due to concerns it could cause food
allergies. In the past year, CFS has won three cases against USDA for the
Agriculture Departments reckless and illegal approval of genetically
engineered crops.
See http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org
The Kansas Rural Center is a non-profit research, education and advocacy
organization that promotes environmentally sound farming practices and a safe
and healthy food system, benefiting both farmers and consumers. See
http://www.kansasruralcenter.org
The Farmer to Farmer Campaign on Genetic Engineering was formed in 1999 to
provide a national voice for farmers on agriculture biotechnology. The
Campaign provides education, training and support to farmers and farm groups on
agricultural biotechnology issues.
Center for Food Safety
Kansas Rural Center
Farmer to Farmer Campaign on Genetic Engineering
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, May 17 2007
USDA Approval of Drug-Producing Rice in Kansas Poses Threat to Food Safety,
Say Food Safety & Farming Groups
Tornadoes, Floods Could Contaminate Foods With Drugs Not Approved By FDA
20,000 Citizens, Scientists, Farming and Rice Organizations In Opposition
WASHINGTON - The Center for Food Safety, Kansas Rural Center and Farmer to
Farmer Campaign on Genetic Engineering object to USDA's May 16th approval of
drug-producing rice cultivation in Kansas, charging that it poses needless
risks to the safety of the American food supply. USDA's approval permits
cultivation in the Junction City area of up to 3,200 acres of rice genetically
engineered to produce pharmaceutical compounds that the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) has refused to approve. FDA approval is not required for
planting to proceed.
The groups note that the decision comes just a week after tornadoes in the
Kansas River Valley and heavy rains caused severe flooding in east-central
Kansas, including floodwaters on the Smoky Hill River, which passes just a mile
from one of the proposed planting sites. USDA had earlier dismissed concerns
raised by the groups that floodwaters could carry the pharmaceutical rice
into surrounding cropland and contaminate farmers' crops with drugs unapproved
by the FDA. USDA concluded in its environmental assessment that: "Extreme
weather events are rare and unlikely to occur in the area of the field trial."
"About two weeks ago, I was huddled with other travelers in a rest stop on
Interstate 70 as tornadoes were reported on the ground in the very area where
Ventria proposes to expand their production between Junction City and Topeka,"
said Dan Nagengast, Executive Director of the Kansas Rural Center.
"I also question whether the company has adequately engineered their water
control systems to deal with the amounts of torrential rainfall that are quite
common here. This just represents an unconscionable food safety
complication in a food-producing region. Why grow these crops in wide open
nature, when other companies have found it possible to use genetic engineering
techniques to produce biotech drugs in confined settings where food
contamination is not an issue?"
USDA approved the "pharma rice" plantings despite receiving 20,000 comments
in opposition from citizens, scientists, farming and rice groups. Groups
opposing the scheme include the USA Rice Federation, U.S. Rice Producers
Association, Riceland Foods, Mississippi Rice Council, Arkansas Rice Growers
Association, Missouri Rice Research and Merchandising Council, and Rice
Producers of California. In addition, fourteen independent scientists signed
a joint scientific assessment warning of potential adverse health impacts from
even trace-level exposure to one of the rice-produced drugs.
"These rice-grown drugs are unapproved by FDA, may be hazardous, and whether
hazardous or not could cause huge economic losses to Kansas farmers whose
wheat, soy or other crops become contaminated with drug rice," said Bill
Freese, Science Policy Analyst with Center for Food Safety.
"In 2002, corn containing an experimental swine vaccine got mixed into
soybeans and regular corn, which then had to be destroyed at a cost of several
millions dollars," said Nagengast. "Over the past year, rice farmers have
lost millions of dollars from contamination of their crop with unapproved
genetically engineered rice grown under USDA's watch," he added.
"The USDA needs to stop rubber-stamping schemes like drug-producing crops
that put farmers and the rural economies they support at great risk," said Bill
Wenzel, National Director of the Farmer to Farmer Campaign on Genetic
Engineering. "The USDA should be focused on representing farmers rather than
carrying water for the biotech industry," he added.
Developed by California-based Ventria Bioscience, the rice is engineered
with modified human genes to serve as a "biofactory" for production of
synthetic human milk proteins that have antimicrobial and other drug-like
properties. Ventria has proposed using the rice-extracted protein drugs to
treat infants with diarrhea, and as additives in infant formulas, yogurt,
granola bars and sports drinks, among other uses.
Last month, the Center for Food Safety released a report detailing the
potential human health impacts of Ventrias pharmaceutical rice and the FDA's
refusal to approve Ventria's rice-grown drugs. The report, "A Grain of
Caution," also disputes the need for Ventria's pharmaceutical rice, discussing
cheap and effective solutions for prevention and treatment of diarrhea
recommended by the World Health Organization and other public health experts.
The report notes that these existing solutions have cut deaths due to diarrhea
from 4.6 million a year in 1980 to 2 million today, and could save many more
lives if adequate funding were provided.
Center for Food Safety's "A Grain of Caution" is available at:
http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/pubs/Pharmaceutical%20Rice-FINAL.pdf For Center for Food Safety's comments to USDA warning of contamination and
other risks, see:
http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/pubs/Biopharm%20Rice%20Kansas%20comments_final.pdf Contacts:
Dan Nagengast, Kansas Rural Center, 785-748-0959
Bill Freese, Center for Food Safety, 202-547-9359 x14
Bill Wenzel, Farmer to Farmer Campaign on Genetic Engineering, 608-444-0292
__________
Center for Food Safety is a national non-profit membership organization
working to protect human health and the environment by curbing the use of
harmful food production technologies and promoting sustainable agriculture. In
2000/2001, CFS was part of a coalition that discovered widespread contamination
of the food supply with genetically engineered StarLink corn, which had not
been approved for human consumption due to concerns it could cause food
allergies. In the past year, CFS has won three cases against USDA for the
Agriculture Departments reckless and illegal approval of genetically
engineered crops.
See
http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org The Kansas Rural Center is a non-profit research, education and advocacy
organization that promotes environmentally sound farming practices and a safe
and healthy food system, benefiting both farmers and consumers. See
http://www.kansasruralcenter.org The Farmer to Farmer Campaign on Genetic Engineering was formed in 1999 to
provide a national voice for farmers on agriculture biotechnology. The
Campaign provides education, training and support to farmers and farm groups on
agricultural biotechnology issues.
gmfreeman