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LAST JULY THE White House issued a memorandum directing the Environmental Protection Agency the Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Agriculture the three agencies with jurisdiction over biotechnology products to update the federal regulatory policy for ensuring the safety of biotech products. The focus of these efforts is on plants animals and microbes but not human drugs and medical devices. In general the FDA regulates the use of biotechnology prod- ucts as food or food additives EPA regulates the use of biotech- nology products as pesticides or plant incorporated protectants and USDA regulates the release into the environment plants seeds and other regulated articles altered or produced through genetic engineering that are deemed to be a plant pest. As part of the memorandum the three agencies have been asked to update the Coordinated Framework for the Regulation of Biotechnology develop a long-term strategy to ensure that the system is prepared for future biotechnology products and commission an expert analysis of the future landscape of bio- technology products to support this effort. While the current regulatory system for biotechnology prod- ucts effectively protects health and the environment advances in science and technology since 1992 when the framework was last updated have been altering the product landscape writes John Holdren director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. In addition the complexity of the array of regulations and guidance documents developed by the three federal agencies with jurisdiction over biotechnology products can make it difficult for the public to understand how the safety of biotechnology products is evaluated and navigating the regu- latory process for these products can be unduly challenging especially for small companies. Industry Welcomes Review The Biotechnology Industry Organization commonly known as BIO welcomed the White House memorandum. BIO com- mends the White House for recognizing that coordination between the agencies that oversee the approval of biotech products must be a priority to encourage innovation by improving transparency timeliness and predictability of the regulatory system says Matt OMara acting vice president of BIOs Food and Agriculture Section. According to BIO the coordinated framework has come under criticism in recent years for impeding the timely approval of much-needed and long-reviewed biotech products. However the organization reports that USDA has since implemented new After more than 20 years since the last update the Coordinated Framework for the Regulation of Biotechnology undergoes a formal review and update. Julie Deering BIOTECH UNDER REVIEW 26 SEEDWORLD.COM JUNE 2016