New Technologies Can Help Wipe Out Worldwide Hunger

DES MOINES, IOWA— Unsubstantiated fears and environmental extremism must not deter the genetic advances in agriculture that will help stamp out global hunger, United States Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Thomas Donohue said today.

"We cannot let this mentality prevent the development of more technologies—which nobody has thought of yet, but that may hold the keys to true food security," Donohue told attendees of the World Food Prize Conference, which honors advancements in food technology

The Chamber executive said the United States must vigorously promote a pro-technology environment that encourages the development of new food resources—such as genetically enhanced agriculture (GEA)—that will multiply the amount of world food available. Reasonable regulatory mandates, based on sound science and common sense, will assure food security, he said.

Donohue warned that some European countries have responded with doom-and-gloom scenarios as a result of this new, U.S.-led technology. Instead of seriously considering GEA as improved food sources, they view them as "unnatural" alternatives that must be banished.

"When there are 1 billion malnourished people in the world, we cannot stand for this," Donohue said. "We cannot allow plain and simple fear and ignorance to win."

Donohue said American business is the leader in developing biotechnology enhanced agriculture—like crops that protect themselves against weather, insects and disease, vaccines that combat animal diseases, and plants that can be modified to suit certain environments or provide certain nutrients—that will feed millions of people worldwide. "These bring us closer to the end of world hunger," Donohue said.

Trade is key to food security

But that requires a global environment that is open to trade, Donohue said. "It's critical that we work to knock down barriers between countries. History has proven that free trade creates prosperity, and that economic prosperity leads to greater food security."

To pursue that goal, Donohue said the Chamber will attend the World Trade Organization's Millennium Round in Seattle in November to support measures that reduce trade barriers, expand market access, strengthen transparency, reduce regulatory inconsistencies, reduce subsidies, protect intellectual property, and expand market-driven technology.

In addition, the Chamber next month is hosting the first of a three-part conference series on food safety featuring experts from the food industry, regulatory agencies and academia. The series is part of a larger Chamber program designed to support business opportunities and innovations to end world hunger.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world's largest business federation representing more than three million businesses and organizations of every size, sector and region.

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