Trump Orders Simpler Path for Genetically Engineered Food
NEW YORK—President Donald J. Trump wants to make it easier for genetically engineered plants and animals to enter the food supply, and he signed an executive order this past week directing federal agencies to simplify the “regulatory maze” for producers.
The move comes as companies are turning to newer genetic engineering techniques that make it easier to tinker with the traits of plants and animals.
Greg Jaffe, biotechnology director at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, said the impact of the executive order would depend on the details of how it is carried out by federal agencies. Simply deregulating could make people lose confidence in genetically engineered foods, he said.
“There needs to be an assurance of safety for those products,” said Jaffe, who was among thos...


