-Caveat Lector- Dave Hartley http://www.Asheville-Computer.com http://www.ioa.com/~davehart -----Original Message----- From: Richard Wolfson [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Monday, October 25, 1999 5:42 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: GEN10-26 Here is a recent GENews email posting. For those who would like to recieve GE News regularly, we ask a subscription fee of $35 for 12 months for those who can afford it ($35 cdn for Canadians, $35 USD for others). For those who cannot afford this, they can pay whatever they can afford. Details at end. Richard ........ Canadians Can Say No to GE corn Ontario's largest exporter of corn, Casco, is right now deciding how much GE corn and non-GE corn that it should be telling farmers to plant for the next season. There are only a few weeks left until farmers start buying corn seeds. You can contact Casco at tel. 1-800-443-2746 fax. 1-416-620-4488 email. [EMAIL PROTECTED] If you want to let Casco know how you feel about GE corn. Thanks Richard ............ Regarding the following article, NutraSweet contains genetically engineered ingredients: UK Daily Mail 25 October 1999 Iceland's Freeze on 'danger' sweetener Iceland stores are to ban NutraSweet from own-brand products following fears of a possible link to cancer. The sweetener contains the chemical aspartame, which is used in thousands of foods and drinks, including Diet Coke. This chemical has been the subject of health worries for some years. These resurfaced last month when researchers at King's College launched a three year study into the possible effects. Iceland, which earlier this year became the first major store to ban GM foods, will announce details of the move today. Managing director, Russell Ford, said, "We are not saying aspartame is unsafe. We're simply responding to customers' concerns." Nutrasweet dismissed the ban as 'a cynical attempt to gain publicity amongst by creating alarm amongst customers." ........ Biotech News, by Richard Wolfson, PhD Reprinted with permission from the November 1999 issue of Alive: Canadian Journal of Health and Nutrition, 7436 Fraser Park Drive, Burnaby, BC V5J 5B9 Japan Institutes Mandatory Labelling According to new regulations in Japan, genetically engineered soybeans, corn, or potatoes, or products that contain measurable quantities of these GE ingredients will have to be labeled as such, starting April 2000. Food companies importing these products from the U.S. will have to test for genetic modifications and label the goods if necessary. If a product's makeup cannot easily be determined because it contains mixed ingredients, the producer will have to label it as possibly containing genetically engineered ingredients. Gerber Baby Food Soon GE-Free Gerber baby food, the largest baby-food producer in the USA, is dropping suppliers who use genetic engineering in their corn and soybean products. The move by the parent company Novartis follows a request from the environmental group Greenpeace for information on the company's use of bioengineered products. The company is also trying to switch over to only organic (pesticide- and herbicide-free) ingredients in its products. According to Al Piergallini, President and CEO of its North American consumer health division, "We want a mother to buy our product and have no concerns." Church of England Refuses GE Trials The Church of England has refused to allow the UK Government to use its land to conduct trials of genetically modified crops, pending a full-scale inquiry into genetic modification and its "theological implications." The church's Ethical Investment Working Group will spend several months analyzing the issue. As a practising Christian, the Prime Minister is expected to take particularly hard accusations by Christian Aid that genetic manipulation of crops is unethical and will ruin the livelihoods of poor farmers. Swiss Detect Contaminated Non-GE Corn from USA The Swiss Department of Agriculture discovered that guaranteed non-GE corn from the USA was contaminated with genetically modified varieties. The corn was purchased from Pioneer Hi-Bred (USA). Before the contamination was discovered, about 200 hectares of contaminated seeds were planted, and another 200 hectares worth of the seeds were sold. Swiss farmers burned the fields planted with contaminated seeds. The Swiss seed importer compensated farmers 700 Swiss Francs per hectare. Pesticide-Resistant Super-Bugs New research published in Nature shows that the GE insect-resistant crops may produce pesticide-resistant insect pests quicker than expected. The insect-resistant crops contain toxins (Bacillus thuringiensis or Bt) genetically engineered into the plants. Scientists and farmers have long-known that sooner or later, insects would become resistant to Bt. However, biotech experts claimed the pesticide-resistant bugs would mate with the non-resistant bugs in designated non-GE areas called refuges, delaying the development of pesticide resistance. However, new research shows that the pesticide resistant varieties have a difference life cycle, indicating that they may be more likely to mate with each other, and produce pesticide-resistant super-bugs in large numbers. Bt Corn Approvals Halted Both the European Commission and the Japanese government have suspended approvals of Bt corn as a result of Cornell University research showing that pollen from the crop may threaten monarch butterflies. In the USA, a coalition of national environmental organizations has urged the Environmental Protection Agency to disallow planting of Bt corn until it can be determined that the corn pollen is not a danger to the monarch or other beneficial or endangered insect species. US Patenting India's Genetic Resources American owned Cromak Research was recently granted a patent on a combination of three Indian herbs, which has been used for centuries in India for the treatment of diabetes. India's scientists are furious. "It's outrageous", said Suman Sahai of Gene Campaign, set up to protect genetic resources and farmers' rights. "This amounts to theft, a violation of our indigenous knowledge. The Americans are stealing from us with impunity and dispossessing Indians of what is rightfully theirs. It's like someone stealing Coca-Cola's formula and getting away with it." Chimeraplasty Researchers have adapted a recently developed gene therapy technique, called chimeraplasty, to genetically engineered plants without inserting foreign genes. This new method involves editing the genetic code by using a DNA/RNA fragment as a writing device to alter the DNA sequence of the cell. Biotech promoters hope that this method might be more acceptable to those who oppose the insertion of foreign genes into cells. However, scientists are concerned that the impact of chimeraplasty on non-target genes could also produce unpredictable, damaging effects. ......... UK Independent GM firms are sued for millions By Oliver Tickell 25 Ocober 1999 Top law firms in the United States and Britain are to launch a series of class actions next month in which they will demand "hundreds of millions of dollars" in damages from the principal companies involved in the production of genetically modified (GM) seeds and food crops. ............ October 25, 1999 SYDNEY, Reuters [WN] via NewsEdge Corporation : The war of words over testing for genetically modified organisms (GMO) in food heated up on Friday as Australian and New Zealand health ministers met to consider introducing food labelling requirements. Privately-owned Genetic ID of the United States denied statements by other scientists that tests could not identify all GM foods and did not yield exact, quantifiable results. ** NOTICE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed for research and educational purposes only. ** _________________________________________________________ Richard Wolfson, PhD Consumer Right to Know Campaign, for Mandatory Labelling and Long-term Testing of all Genetically Engineered Foods, 500 Wilbrod Street Ottawa, ON Canada K1N 6N2 tel. 613-565-8517 fax. 613-565-1596 email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Our website, http://www.natural-law.ca/genetic contains more information on genetic engineering as well as previous genetic engineering news items. Subscription fee to genetic engineering news is $35 (USD for those outside Canada) for 12 months, payable to "BanGEF" and mailed to the above address. 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