India Should Adopt & Implement The US FDA’s Genome Tracking Project

The Genome Tracking project (GenomeTrakr Network) announced by the US FDA is much needed.

The FDA however, is focusing on tracking pathogens. What will be more important in the next decade or two is the tracking of food molecules themselves.

With widespread, democratic, inexpensive access to technology like CRISPR, we stand at the cusp of an explosion of genetically engineered plants (and animals). Many of these plants will contaminate the food supply by intermingling with crops in fields.

This is an enormous new threat that countries and populations face, and will be much worse in countries like India with very low level of farm to fork tracking systems, and practically no control over what happens on farms, and in small laboratories.

The farmers themselves will have no way of knowing if the wheat they grow has been contaminated by genetically engineered wheat.

India must partner with US FDA to implement the GenomeTrakr Network system, borrow technology, and adopt best practices.

Read the article here: https://www.qualityassurancemag.com/article/fda-announces-a-new-era-of-smarter-food-safety/