Sample of policies, petitions and “sign-on”
letters calling for labeling and other responsible regulation
of genetically engineered food and safe food in general. For more
information, also see www.labelgefoods.org
American Association of Retired Persons (AARP):
“FDA currently allows these [genetically engineered] foods
onto the market without prior safety testing and requires labeling
only if the modified food contains a known allergen….
…Consumers have a right to know whether the foods they are
consuming have been irradiated or genetically modified, and labels
should be required to disclose this information” - The
Policy Book: AARP Public Policies 2002, Consumer Protection,
12-65 & 67
FAIR PACKAGING AND LABELING ACT
TITLE 15 - COMMERCE AND TRADE, CHAPTER 39 - FAIR PACKAGING AND LABELING
PROGRAM
§1451. Congressional Declaration of Policy.
“Informed consumers are essential to the fair and efficient
functioning of a free market economy. Packages and their labels
should enable consumers to obtain accurate information as to the
quantity of the contents and should facilitate value comparisons.
Therefore, it is hereby declared to be the policy of the Congress
to assist consumers and manufacturers in reaching these goals in
the marketing of consumer goods.”
[Note: Labeling required by Measure 27 would enable consumers to
know whether the quantity of genetically engineered material in
a given food product is more than one tenth of one percent of the
weight of the product.]
U.S.A. PATRIOT Act
SEC. 1013.
(a) Findings.--The Senate finds the following:
(9) Improvements must be made in assuring the safety of the food
supply.
(12) Now is the time to strengthen our public health system and
ensure that the United States is adequately prepared to respond
to potential bioterrorist attacks, natural infectious disease outbreaks,
and other challenges and potential threats to the public health.
(b) Sense of the Senate.--It is the sense of the Senate that the
United States should make a substantial new
investment this year toward the following:
(7) Targeting activities to increase food safety at the Food and
Drug Administration.
500,000 Signatures Delivered to Congress
In June, 1999, Mothers for Natural Law delivered 500,000 signatures,
calling for mandatory labeling of genetically engineered food, to
Congress and the Food and Drug Administration. Samples were also
given the White House, Environment Protection Agency, and U.S. Department
of Agriculture (USDA) in June 1999. www.safe-food.org
Statement of Solidarity with Southern African
Nations Over GM Food and Crops (August 26, 2002)
http://www.gefoodalert.org/library/admin/uploadedfiles/
Statement_of_Solidarity_with_Southern_African_.htm
Open Letter from World Scientists to All
Governments Concerning Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)
Signed by 477 scientists from 59 different countries, www.i-sis.org.uk/list.php
Farmers Declaration on Genetically Engineered
Foods signed by 35 farm organizations calling for labeling
and other responsible regulations, www.nffc.net/bio1.htm.
Genetically Engineered Food Alert Call to
Action Signers – Includes over 260 organizations,
VIP’s, and researchers and academics, political leaders and
more. http://www.gefoodalert.org/pages/orgs.cfm
April 2002
Response from all the African delegates (except
South Africa), June 1998 – who objected that the
image of the poor and hungry from their countries is “being
used by giant multinational corporations to push a technology that
is neither safe, environmentally friendly, nor economically beneficial
to us.” http://www.argonet.co.uk/users/john.rose/africa.html
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