Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
scientific safety assessments, but despite sponsoring many case reports
and projects for public consumption,
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the public retained negative views
on GM foods. Unfortunately, the European Commission's White Paper
on European Governance
63
does not provide a practical model for stake-
holder participation. Other EU policies attempt to build a framework
for risk assessment that incorporates public participation, and under-
score the importance of risk communication between regulators and the
public. An improved framework will need to include ethics, benefits,
economics, and other public concerns as part of the assessment.
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By
developing more informed public participation and recognizing public
concerns in transparent proceedings, criticism from those who demand
a 100 percent safety guarantee would be less effective.
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PrinciplesofVWA'sFoodSafetyGovernance
The current Dutch system for food safety governance does not include
a formal process for public participation and focuses almost exclusively
on scientific concerns. Participation at each level of a transparent assess-
ment process would likely alleviate public concerns. For example, public
attention during the first phase of defining the objective of a novel GM
plant would identify the controversial aspects of that plant and the gov-
ernment could focus on those issues early in the process. Participatory
interacting of the key players at the very start of defining the objectives
of a novel GM plant allows development of a planning process, which
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H. P. J. M. Noteborn, Tackling Food Safety Concerns over GMOs, in
EC Sponsored
Study on the Safety of Genetically Modified Organisms
107-109 (C. Kessler & I. Econo-
midis eds., European Union 2001).
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Commission White Paper on European Governance, COM (2001) 428 final (July 25,
2001).
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Commission Communication on the Precautionary Principle, http://europa.eu.int/
comm/dgs/health consumer/library/pub/pub07 en.pdf (last visited June 19, 2008).
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Safe Foods Corporation Home Page, www.safefoods.nl; Paganini Project Home Page,
www.paganini-project.net.
