Europe the spoil-sport: On the Europeans' reluctance towards genetically modified food

Journal of Biolaw and Business

Volumn 3, Issue 3, 2000, Pages 53-59

  Torgersen, Helge ^a   Lassen, Jesper ^b   Jelsoe, Erling ^c   Rusanen, Timo ^d   Nielsen, Torben Hviid ^e  

^a Institute of Technology Assessment   (Norway)

^b AALBORG UNIVERSITY   (Denmark)

^c ROSKILDE UNIVERSITY   (Denmark)

^d UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN FINLAND   (Finland)

^e UNIVERSITY OF OSLO   (Norway)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

BIOTECHNOLOGY; DECISION MAKING; DNA MODIFICATION; EUROPE; FOOD INDUSTRY; GENETIC ENGINEERING; HEALTH CARE POLICY; POLITICS; REVIEW; SOCIAL ASPECT;

EID: 0034045795     PISSN: 10955127     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: None     Document Type: Review

References (34)

1. This article is based on a paper given at the 1998 annual Meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, 12-17 February, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
2. The authors are members of the Concerted Action Groups "Biotechnology and the European Public" and "European Debates on Biotechnology: The Dimensions of Public Concern," funded by the European Community (Contracts nos. B104-CT95-0043 and B104-98-0488). HT was supported by a grant from the Austrian Fonds zur Fšrderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung (no. P11849-SOZ) and by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Science and Traffic (GZ 650.275/2-III/2a/99).
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5. H. I. Miller, Concepts of risk assessment: the "process versus product" controversy put to the rest, in H. J. Rehm, G. Reed (eds.), Biotechnology (2nd ed.), vol. 12: legal, economic and ethical dimensions, Verlag Chemie, Weinheim/New York (1995).
6. H. J. Miller, Nasty taste from G-S GM food policy, Nature Biotechnology 17, 8, 730, August 1999.
7. "The EU's fear of bioengineered foods ... is the single greatest trade threat that we face." Stuart Eizenstat, nominee for a leading job at the US Treasury Department, testifying before the US Senate on June 29, 1999.
8. S. Jasanoff, Product, process, or program: Three cultures and the regulation of biotechnology, in M. Bauer (ed.), Resistance to new technology, 311-331, Cambridge University Press (1994).
9. H. Gottweis, Governing Molecules. The Discoursive Politics of Genetic Engineering in Europe and the United States. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA. (1995).
10. Council of the EC, Directives 90/219/EEC on the Contained Use and 90/220/EEC on the Deliberate Release of Genetically Modified Organisms Into the Environment from 23. 4. 1990, ABl L 117/15, Brussels (1990).
11. M. Cantley, The Regulation of Modern Biotechnology: A Historical and European Perspective, in D. Brauer (ed.), Biotechnology vol. 12: legal, economic and ethical dimensions, 505-681, Verlag Chemie, Weinheim/New York (1995).
12. J. Hunt, The social construction of precaution, in T. O'Riordan, J. Cameron, Interpreting the precautionary principle, 172-182, Earthscan, London (1994). The "reductionist" approach can be paraphrased by a quote from the US National Research Council's Field testing Genetically Modified Organisms: Framework for Decisions (National Academy Press, Washington D.C. (1989): "With organisms modified by molecular methods, we are in a better, if not perfect, position to predict the phenotypic expression."
13. J. Hunt, The social construction of precaution, in T. O'Riordan, J. Cameron, Interpreting the precautionary principle, 172-182, Earthscan, London (1994). The "reductionist" approach can be paraphrased by a quote from the US National Research Council's Field testing Genetically Modified Organisms: Framework for Decisions (National Academy Press, Washington D.C. (1989): "With organisms modified by molecular methods, we are in a better, if not perfect, position to predict the phenotypic expression."
14. J. Durant, M. Bauer, G. Gaskell (eds.), Biotechnology in the Public Sphere, Science Museum, London (1998).
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16. R. v. Schomberg, An Appraisal of the Working in Practice of the Directive 90/220/EEC on the Deliberate Release of Genetically Modified Organisms, STOA, European Parliament, Luxembourg (1998).
17. supra note 15.
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19. supra note 8.
20. European Commission, The European Commission has decided to propose further labelling of genetically modified organisms, press release IP/97/269, Brussels (2. April 1997).
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22. supra note 13.
23. Interestingly, in countries like Finland, the experts' role seemed to be unaffected and they are still considered to be objective and rational. This is just another facet of European divergence.
24. supra note 20.
25. For the relationship between knowledge, uncertainty and trust see N. Luhmann, Trust and Power, Wiley, Chichester (1979).
26. supra note 13.
27. This is contrary to the situation with pharmaceutical and other medical applications, which are broadly accepted in Europe.
28. E. Dorey, EuropaBio unit created to boost agbio defense, Nature Biotechnology 17, 7, 631-632 (July 1999).
29. According to the Guardian from 25.8.1999, an internal report into GM food conducted by Deutsche Bank has been published by the Minnesota-based research group The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy. The report, published last month under the heading "AgBiotech: Thanks, But No Thanks" says: "GMOs are being demonised by their opponents. What food manufacturer will 'take a bullet' for GMO corn in the face of such controversy?"
30. T.H. Nielsen, Behind the color code of "no," Nature Biotechnology 15, 7, 1320-1321 (1997).
31. J. Linnerooth-Bayer, IIASA Laxenburg, personal communication; see also supra notes 8 and 9.
32. B. Davy, Essential Injustice, Springer Wien / New York (1997).
33. J. L. Fox, FDA, activists seek judgements in food policy lawsuits, Nature biotechnology 17, 8, 746-747 (1999).
34. supra note 8.