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A Focus on Food, and a Goodbye

by Suzanne Theberge

This issue of GeneWatch focuses on a topic that’s been at the heart of our work for many years: genetically engineered food. Doreen Stabinsky discusses the recent discovery of the contamination of traditional maize varieties in Mexico; Brian Carlson explains how bio-piracy is affecting wild rice in the northern Midwest; and Sophia Kolehmainen writes about the regulatory structure for GE food. We also have a piece by Alexia Robinson on the Genetic Commons Treaty; an article on the continuing controversy around deCODE from Iceland’s Steindor J. Erlingsson; and a summary of recent books on GE food. Our “No Patents on Life” column returns with Jonathan King’s summary of the discovery that several universities and corporations own patents that could cover genetically modified and cloned embryos and fetuses of humans and other mammals. This issue expresses a variety of viewpoints, not all of which represent CRG’s positions, but that we believe are interesting and influential.

This issue brings a number of changes to GeneWatch. Some of them, like our new look, are immediately obvious. We are pleased to report we recently received a generous grant from an anonymous donor to improve the design of GeneWatch. This grant will allow us to adopt a format we’ve long been planning: an illustrated cover. We plan to use this change to promote a wider distribution of GeneWatch at newsstands, bookstores, and health food stores.

In addition, this is my last issue as editor of GeneWatch. I am leaving CRG to return to school to pursue a Masters degree in Public Heath. In my two years at CRG, I’ve seen and learned quite a bit about genetic technologies and their implications. Genetically engineered food has often been in the news. The American public continues to question the assurances of the industry, and polls show that most Americans want GE food to be labeled. The StarLink corn fiasco, where engineered corn not approved for human consumption was found in tacos and other products, and the contamination of the world’s repository of maize in Mexico, have been two of the hottest stories about genetically engineered food in the past year. Looking towards the future, labeling promises to attract more attention, and activists are gearing up to for a battle over genetically engineered wheat.

Human genetic issues have attracted more controversy. Stem cells were at the forefront of the news last summer, and cloning looms on the horizon for this year. The Human Genome Project brought scientists down a notch when they realized that there are fewer genes on the human genome than was originally predicted—or at least on Craig Venter’s genome. With the introduction of several bills, among them the Brownback and Rivers-Weldon bills, cloning has become a more contested issue in the political arena. In addition, cloning and genetic testing of embryos and fetuses have become part of the debate over a woman’s right to choose. CRG has been at the forefront of the movement showing that you can be pro-choice and also have legitimate questions about cloning and genetic engineering of human beings.

It has been an interesting two years at CRG, and I’ll miss working on these issues every day.