U.N. biosafety protocol

NDMA and the Cosmetic, Toiletry & Fragrance Association are among 24 national trade associations requesting consumer products, food and beverages be excluded from the scope of the Biosafety Protocol to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity in a Dec. 14 letter to President Clinton. Intended to ensure the safe transport and use of modern biotechnology and to mitigate adverse consequences associated with use, the protocol might include requirements for prior approval of imports, risk assessments, additional documentation and special labeling. The associations object specifically to a current proposal that protocol's definition of "living modified organism" also include "products thereof," such as consumer and agricultural products and food and beverages. Negotiations on the treaty will continue in February at a meeting in Colombia