[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 63 (Friday, April 1, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-7799]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: April 1, 1994]



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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Food and Drug Administration
[Docket No. 94N-0053]

 

Conference on Scientific Issues Related to Potential 
Allergenicity in Transgenic Food Crops

AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Animal and Plant 
Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture 
(USDA), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), are cosponsoring 
a conference on scientific issues associated with the potential for 
allergenic substances to occur in foods derived from transgenic plants. 
This conference will provide an opportunity for scientists to discuss 
relevant information with respect to food allergy and transgenic food 
crops.

DATES: The conference will be held on April 18 and 19, 1994. 
Registration must be received by April 8, 1994. Attendance will be 
limited to available space. Late registrations will be accepted on a 
space available basis.

ADDRESSES: The conference will be held at the Annapolis Marriott 
Waterfront, 80 Compromise St., Annapolis, MD. Submit written comments 
to the Dockets Management Branch (HFA-305), Food and Drug 
Administration, rm. 1-23, 12420 Parklawn Dr., Rockville, MD 20857.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
     To register for the meeting contact: Creavery Lloyd, Office of 
Prevention, Pesticides, and Toxic Substances (7101), Environmental 
Protection Agency, 401 M St. SW., Washington, DC 20466, 202-260-1597.
    For information on obtaining transcripts of the meeting or on the 
scientific agenda contact: Dennis M. Keefe, Center for Food Safety and 
Applied Nutrition (HFS-206), Food and Drug Administration, 200 C St. 
SW., Washington, DC 20204, 202-254-9523.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Plant scientists have a distinguished history of developing new 
agricultural food crops through classical methods of plant breeding and 
selection. In addition to traditional methods, scientists are using 
recent advances such as recombinant deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) methods 
to develop new varieties of food crops. These new methods allow 
scientists to introduce genetic material from diverse plant, animal, 
and microbial sources into food crops. The agencies are aware that the 
potential exists for some of the proteins encoded by this newly 
introduced genetic material to cause allergic reactions in some people. 
The agencies believe that this issue deserves full discussion in the 
scientific community.
    To foster this discussion and in view of the rapid progress of 
science, APHIS of the USDA, EPA, and FDA are jointly sponsoring a 
conference on scientific issues associated with the potential for 
allergenic substances to occur in foods derived from transgenic plants. 
This conference will provide an opportunity for scientists to discuss 
relevant information with respect to food allergy and transgenic food 
crops.
    The conference agenda will be available at the meeting. The 
conference format will include presentations and discussion by 
scientific experts in various fields related to food allergy and 
agricultural research. At the conclusion of each session, the session 
moderator, may, as a matter of discretion, invite questions from the 
audience.
    The following are examples of questions that will be discussed at 
the conference:
    1. What general considerations are related to food allergy?
    2. What foods are allergenic and how serious are reactions to such 
foods?
    3. What are the characteristic T-cell and B-cell epitopes of food 
allergens?
    4. What information is known about the relationship between dietary 
exposure and allergenic reaction?
    5. What effect does the method of plant breeding (e.g., 
conventional or recombinant DNA methods) have on introducing or 
enhancing the potential allergenicity of foods?
    6. Are there in vitro or animal tests that may be useful tools for 
assessing potential allergens in foods? If so, what are these tests?

    Dated: March 25, 1994.
 Jane E. Henney,
 Deputy Commissioner for Operations.
[FR Doc. 94-7799 Filed 3-31-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-01-F