Demand Clear Labels on Genetically Engineered Food
For a decade, Monsanto has been selling genetically engineered corn and soybean seeds to farmers. Some has already made its way into processed food and is sold to consumers without any labeling.
Now, genetically modified (GM) crops are poised to move into supermarket produce sections and farmers markets. The first GM fish, a salmon engineered with eel genes that grows to maturity twice as fast as normal, could soon be at fish counters.
The very limited data the Food and Drug Administration has collected on GM foods mean there is a possibility of increased allergic reactions, and ecologists are worried that if these fish escape from their ocean net pens they could wipe out natural salmon.
The FDA says that none of these foods need to be labeled, but we disagree. We have a right to know what we are eating and we should be able to choose whether or not to try these newfangled foods. Urge FDA Commissioner Hamburg to require labeling of all genetically engineered food.
Dear FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg:
As consumers, we request that you require labeling of all genetically engineered food. Consumers want to be able to know if corn, fish, papaya and vegetables are genetically modified and to be able to choose whether to buy them for themselves and their families. We, the undersigned, believe we have a right to know and to choose what we will eat, and these are changes in the food that matter to us.
We are particularly concerned that genetically modified salmon may soon be approved by FDA. We request that this be required to be labeled. We are concerned that it may pose increased allergy risks. Without labeling there is no way to identify the cause of an allergic reaction. FDA cannot say the engineered salmon is no different than regular salmon when it contains eel genes that make it grow to maturity twice as fast.
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