The Obama administration said on Thursday that it would update the way the government regulated genetically modified crops and some other biotechnology products, saying that the nearly 30-year-old system had become outdated and confusing and did not foster public confidence.

“While the current regulatory system for biotechnology products effectively protects the health and the environment, advances in science and technology since 1992 have been altering the product landscape,” John P. Holdren, the White House science adviser, and three other senior White House officials said in a blog post on Thursday.

They said, the complexity of the current system “can make it difficult for the public to understand how the safety of biotechnology products is evaluated, and navigating the regulatory process for these products can be unduly challenging, especially for small companies.”

The administration said it would accept public input and hoped to complete the initial update to the regulatory framework in a year.