After a 14-month investigation to find out how unapproved varieties of genetically engineered rice got into U.S. and European food, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has come up with no insights into exactly what went wrong. Bayer CropScience discovered one of its experimental herbicide-tolerant long-grain rice varieties in commercial samples last year (Science, 22 September 2006, p. 1714) and another this year. USDA last week admitted that it wasn't able to figure out how the experimental rice got into the food supply. But as part of a broader review of its biotech regulations, the agency says it is thinking about ways to keep a tighter lid on experimental plants, such as requiring more isolation of seed-breeding fields. And to aid subsequent investigations, it may also require companies to keep better records.
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