2001 AACC Annual Meeting Charlotte, North Carolina October 14-18, 2001 Charlotte Convention Center

Biotechnology is a very powerful tool, one with a tremendous upside potential to enhance society worldwide. But at the same time if it is not managed carefully, there is always the possibility of adverse effects. Foods derived from biotechnology are of interest to the baking industry. Although we usually embrace new technologies we are driven by the demands of our consumers and customer base. The market place requires us to provide choices for our various constituencies. Consumers in the U.S. have the option of purchasing or not purchasing new and different products. Within this free market structure, the food industry of the United States is highly regulated to ensure that it delivers a safe and wholesome food supply and consumers are protected. Because of this, consumers build trust over time in our brands and products. The challenges facing the baking industry lie in the capability of the grain handling system to keep conventional and genetically modified grains separate, including the ability to quickly and inexpensively test shipments to ensure purity or to meet labeling requirements. Consumer education is also important, and this needs to be founded on science and derived from credible sources. Opportunities include the ability to influence the biotechnology developers assuring that future applications have attributes that are beneficial to the industrial processor and food consumer. And probably the most open-ended opportunity is harnessing the technology to provide the consumer with beneficial traits that are not possible with current agriculture and food technologies.