Davis, California
December 18, 2003
The University of California, Davis, is recalling about 30
tomato seed samples, distributed during the past seven years to
research colleagues in the United States and abroad, after
recent tests showed that the seed was not the intended variety,
but rather a very similar variety developed through
biotechnology.
The seed contains a commercially approved biotech trait,
referred to as the PG trait. That trait, which improves the
thickness of tomato paste, had been approved in 1994 for use in
human food. A similar tomato variety with the PG trait had
previously been planted commercially in California, and tomato
paste with the trait had been sold to consumers, primarily in
the United Kingdom.
THE SEED AND ITS DISTRIBUTION
Since 1996, small quantities of seed of the processing-tomato
variety known as UC-82B were provided, upon request, by UC Davis
to researchers at 12 institutions in the United States and to
researchers in 14 other countries. Each sample included about 25
seeds to be used in research projects at those institutions. Two
samples were also sent abroad for demonstration gardens in
England and Ethiopia. UC Davis and the recipients were unaware
that these particular UC-82B seeds carried the PG trait.
UC Davis officials have determined that the seeds carrying the
PG trait originated from a 20-gram seed sample donated to UC
Davis in 1996 by Petoseed Company, which has since been acquired
by Seminis Vegetable Seeds.
It is unclear when or where the seeds were mislabeled.
The seed mix-up came to light when the
Charles M. Rick Tomato
Genetics Resource Center at UC Davis sent samples of what
was thought to be unmodified UC-82B to the UC Davis Plant
Transformation Facility. This research service unit genetically
modifies small numbers of plants for use in campus research
projects. In working
with the seeds, staff scientists detected the unexpected
presence of a commonly used "marker" gene, NPT II, and notified
the Rick center. The protein derived from the NPT II gene has
been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a food
additive. Subsequent testing also revealed the presence of the
PG gene.
A similar tomato variety with the same combination of PG gene
and NPT II was commercialized in 1996 through a collaboration
between Petoseed Company and Zeneca Plant Science. That variety
was approved for food and tomato production in the U.S. by the
Food and Drug Administration in 1994 and the U.S. Department of
Agriculture in 1995. It also was approved for food consumption
by the government of the United Kingdom in 1995 and in Canada by
Health Canada in 1996. That variety also passed scientific
review in the European Union. It
was grown commercially in California and sold as tomato paste
product in the United Kingdom between 1996 and 1999.
RESPONSE BY UC DAVIS AND SEMINIS
Upon learning of the apparent mix-up, the Rick tomato center
curator reviewed records and found that the UC-82B seed had been
obtained in 1996 from Petoseed. Although that seed variety had
been developed in 1976 by a UC Davis plant breeder, the campus
supply had run low and Petoseed had replenished it.
"We immediately tested our seed and informed both Seminis and
the U.S. Department of Agriculture," said Neal Van Alfen, dean
of UC Davis' College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
"DNA sequencing conducted at UC Davis has confirmed the presence
of the PG trait.
"We have notified the individuals or research units that
received the seed," Van Alfen added. "We are asking the
recipients to let us know how they used or disposed of the seed,
and to send any seeds remaining from the original sample to an
independent laboratory for DNA testing."
Ed Green, senior vice president of research and development at
Seminis, said: "We will continue to work closely with the
university to determine how this error occurred. We have offered
the full analytical resources of Semi
nis and have made our records available to university officials.
"While current regulatory controls and technological advances
would make this type of mix-up highly unlikely today, we also
feel it's prudent to review our seed handling, storage and
sharing protocols to look for improvements, " Green said.
Green added that only a small fraction of Seminis' current
research involves biotechnology because the company's focus is
on traditional plant breeding. Seminis does not sell any
tomatoes developed with biotechnology.
UC Davis' Charles M. Rick Tomato Genetics Resource Center is
associated with the National Plant Germplasm System. Upon
request, the center provides seed samples to scientists and
educators worldwide. The center houses seeds of more than 3,600
wild species and domesticated varieties, and is considered the
most diverse
collection of its kind in the world.
Seminis markets more than 4,000 vegetable and fruit varieties.
Its products reduce the need for chemical pest controls, improve
grower yields and offer improved nutrition, flavor and
convenience, according to Seminis officials. |