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February 01, 2007
Dr. Michael Fernandez, Executive Director, Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology, 2-1-07
Michael Fernandez, Ph.D. is the Executive Director of the Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology. Since joining the Initiative when it launched in early 2001, Dr. Fernandez has served as the Initiative’s Director of Science. In that role, he oversaw the Initiative’s research into scientific questions generated by agricultural biotechnology, including the reports, workshops and conferences prepared by Initiative staff.
Previously, Dr. Fernandez served as the Associate Administrator for the Agricultural Marketing Service at the United States Department of Agriculture where he was responsible for all science and technology programs, including agricultural biotechnology and the implementation of the National Organic Standards Program.
The Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology was established in 2001 to be an independent and objective source of credible information on agricultural biotechnology for the public, media and policymakers. Funded through a grant from The Pew Charitable Trusts to the University of Richmond, the Initiative advocates neither for, nor against, agricultural biotechnology. Instead, the Initiative is committed to providing information and encouraging debate and dialogue so that consumers and policymakers can make their own informed decisions.
Consumer confidence in the ability of the regulatory system to ensure food safety and protect the environment is critical to the success or failure of agricultural biotechnology. For that reason, the Initiative supports informed public dialogue on ways that the regulatory system may need to evolve to address the issues posed by the continued development of this new technology and the growing body of scientific knowledge.
The Initiative produces reports and sponsors workshops and conferences to showcase the diverse points of view that recognized experts have on the broad array of topics relevant to the debate about agricultural biotechnology. The reports and workshop products are disseminated widely and are made available through the Initiative’s web site so the public, the media and policymakers can have equal access to information. Through collaborations with other organizations, the Initiative also aims to encourage debate and dialogue about the scientific, economic, marketing, and regulatory issues relevant to agricultural biotechnology.
Posted by David Lemberg at February 1, 2007 12:18 PM Return to SCIENCE AND SOCIETY home page