In December 2004, the Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology hosted an invitation-only workshop to explore how standards are used in the marketing and trade of agricultural products, and the relevance different kinds of standards might have for agricultural biotechnology. The meeting allowed stakeholders from all segments of the food chain, along with representatives from government, academia and consumer groups, the opportunity to discuss how markets have historically determined when standards defining specific types of products are necessary, the different roles of various stakeholders, and the impact standards can have on international trade.

Standards of different kinds exist throughout the marketplace, and are designed to help buyers and sellers agree on what they are trading. Standards for product safety (e.g., pesticide tolerances), standards for product quality (e.g., grade standards for fresh fruit and vegetables) and standards for production processes (e.g., certified organic) are among the many types of standards in use today.

Agricultural biotechnology continues to present new market opportunities and challenges. As the technology and the marketplace grow increasingly complex, with new product types and shifting consumer demands, a workshop to examine how tools such as standards might maximize new opportunities and minimize market disruptions seemed useful to stakeholders.

The workshop, which took place in Washington, D.C. over the course of a day and one-half, was conceived as a follow-up to a September 2001 conference sponsored by the Pew Initiative and USDA's Economic Research Service. Proceedings from the workshop, titled "Setting Standards: Biotechnology in the Marketplace", is now available on the Pew Initiative website.

Highlights include:

• An outline of the fundamental concepts for standards, why they exist and how they evolve in response to technological development and changing societal values.

• A simulated negotiation of how to bring a hypothetical genetically modified crop to the consumer market, involving the individual perspectives of real-life growers, buyers, sellers and processors of segregated agricultural commodities.

• A detailed discussion of the tests now used to detect genetically modified organisms, examining the strengths and weaknesses of various methodologies as well as the limitations of these technologies for producers, shippers and food manufacturers attempting to meet international regulatory requirements and customer demands.

• An examination of the current need for, development and implementation of, international standards with respect to genetically modified products as well as the impact the introduction of standards could have on international markets.

Proceedings and highlights from the workshop can be viewed and downloaded at: http://pewagbiotech.org/events/0911/standards-proceedings.pdf.