Representatives from the Korean Environmental and Food Safety Risk Assessment Committees spent the last week in Washington, D.C., Iowa and Washington to gain insight in biotechnology development, regulation and use in the United States. The respective committees play a critical role in the review of scientific data provided by technology developers to the Korean Government for approval of biotechnology products. The U.S. Grains Council-organized mission offered valuable exchanges of information between the team and U.S. government officials and Council members which allow a greater understanding of the challenges the committees face and the approaches the U.S. uses to assess the safety of biotech traits. 

In addition to important dialogue with U.S. biotechnology regulatory officials at USDA, EPA and FDA, the team met with several technology developer companies to discuss product pipelines, data collection, risk assessment techniques, potential harmonization and research studies that better inform the procedures and applications for regulatory approval.

The Iowa Corn Promotion Board hosted visits to Gordon Wassenaar’s farm with growers from Iowa and Minnesota, a local grain elevator and grocery store to show the evaluators how biotechnology is grown, handled, used and marketed in the United States. To round out the tour, the team traveled to TEMCO Port Facility in Tacoma, Wash., to complete the journey of U.S. corn to the export channels.

USGC Director in Korea Byong Ryol Min hopes the mission to the United States helps the evaluators have more confidence in the U.S. development and safety of biotech products and reduce any possible barriers to trade.

“We had many good discussions here,â€� said Min. “This mission will strengthen the communication with these important officials involved in the Korean regulatory process and lays the foundation for ongoing information exchange and better understanding when the evaluators are conducting their review of the risk assessment data.”