Posted by: Sandra Brigola <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >X-eGroups-Return: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Mailing-List: contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] >X-Mailing-List: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >X-URL: http://www.egroups.com/list/k9health/ >Subject: FW: Complete Text of NYTimes Ad. on Genetically Manipulated >> foods > >> {Monday's NYTimes contains a full page ad.which is available for >> downloading both in Acrobat and in text form at http://www.turnpoint.org] >> >> UNLABELED, UNTESTED AND YOU'RE EATING IT. >> >> In secret, genetically engineered foods are showing up on American grocery >> shelves. Though other countries now label biotech foods, the U.S. FDA >> still does not require labels or safety tests. Don't you have the right to >> know what's in your food? And if it's safe for your family? >> >> You have the right to know if your baked potato contains bacteria >> genes...or if the tomato in your salad has genes of viruses spliced in. >> But at the very place where you encounter genetically engineered (GE) >> products - your local grocery store - there is silence. >> >> The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the biotechnology industry have >> prevented the labeling of GE foods, effectively subverting your right to >> know! And so, every day, millions of American infants, children and adults >> eat genetically engineered foods without their knowledge. >> >> Are these unlabeled foods dangerous? Nobody knows. The FDA refuses to >> require any safety testing of genetically engineered foods. This, despite >> the fact that there is significant scientific evidence that inserting >> novel genes into foods can sometimes create dangerous toxins. For example, >> this is the possible cause of the thousands of illnesses, and deaths from >> the GE food supplement L-tryptophan several years ago. Failure to require >> testing or labeling of GE foods has made millions of consumers into guinea >> pigs, unknowingly testing the safety of dozens of gene altered products. >> >> PUBLIC OPINION >> >> There is no doubt of the public's views. Opinion polls consistently show >> that more than 90% of Americans support the labeling of genetically >> engineered foods. A 1999 Time poll revealed that close to 60% would avoid >> such foods if they were labeled. And last year more than 280,000 angry >> consumers protested the Clinton administration's proposal on organic food >> standards that would have allowed genetically engineered foods to be >> certified as "organic." Little wonder that the biotechnology industry is >> fighting to stop labeling. If consumers knew what was in these foods, >> there's a good chance they wouldn't buy them. By its policy of "no >> labeling" of GE foods, the U.S. has become a rogue nation. The European >> Union has passed a law that requires labeling of genetically engineered >> foods. Meanwhile, Canada and the European Union have banned the use of >> genetically engineered bovine growth hormone (rBGH) in the production of >> milk and dairy products. But the Clinton administration, the FDA, and the >> biotech food companies continue to stonewall the American public. * * * >> >> To help overcome the government's irresponsible policy, we are publishing >> on this page a partial list of foods that have been genetically modified. >> Should you be concerned about genetically engineered foods? Yes, you >> should. According to documents recently released after a court order, even >> scientists from the Food and Drug Administration have known of some >> potential hazards from the genetic engineering of foods, dating as far >> back as 1991. >> >> The following is a list of several potential dangers from the genetic >> engineering of foods. While there have been no tests so far conclusively >> establishing that genetically engineered foods are harmful to humans, the >> potential dangers are significant enough to mandate long-term independent >> testing of GE food products before release into supermarkets. >> >> TOXICITY. According to some FDA scientists, the genetic engineering of >> food may bring "some undesirable effects such as increased levels of known >> naturally occurring toxicants, appearance of new, not previously >> identified toxicants, increased capability of concentrating toxic >> substances from the environment (e.g., pesticides or heavy metals), and >> undesirable alterations in the levels of nutrients." In other words, >> scientists from the FDA itself suspect that genetic engineering could make >> foods toxic. >> >> ALLERGIC REACTION. FDA scientists also warn that genetically engineered >> foods could "produce a new protein allergen" or "enhance the synthesis of >> existing plant food allergens." And a recent study in the New England >> Journal of Medicine showed that when a gene from a Brazil nut was >> engineered into soybeans, people allergic to nuts had serious reactions. >> Without labeling, people with certain food allergies will not be able to >> know if they might be harmed by the food they're eating. >> >> ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE. Many GE foods are modified with antibiotic >> resistant genes; people who eat them may become more susceptible to >> bacterial infections. Commenting on this problem, the British Medical >> Association said that antibiotic resistance is "one of the major public >> human health threats that will be faced in the 21st century." >> >> CANCER. European scientists have also found that dairy products from >> animals treated with bovine growth hormone (rBGH) contain an insulin-like >> growth factor that may increase the risk of breast cancer, as well as >> prostate and colon cancer. >> >> IMMUNO-SUPPRESSION. Twenty two leading scientists recently declared that >> animal test results linking genetically engineered foods to >> immuno-suppression are valid. >> >> OTHER CONCERNS >> >> Unlabeled genetically engineered foods pose more than just health threats. >> For millions of people, the consumption of GE foods may violate their >> religious and ethical principles. For example, vegetarians try to avoid >> all animal food; but without labeling they can't be sure that animal genes >> have not been inserted into their vegetables. Jews and Muslims have rigid >> dietary laws against eating certain animals, yet their tomatoes or lettuce >> may one day contain pig genes. Don't they have the right to know? >> >> And what of the suffering of genetically altered animals? One GE "super >> pig" was unable to walk or stand. A GE "super salmon" had a monster head >> and couldn't swim, eat, or breathe properly. There are hundreds of such >> outcomes. >> >> There are still broader ethical concerns. More than two dozen genes from >> human beings have already been engineered into various animals. If we eat >> them, can we call it cannibalism? >> >> Despite all these concerns, and many more, the government has decided it >> doesn't want you to know what's in the food you're eating. Clearly, the >> reason is the constant pressure from the biotech food industry. The >> Clinton administration seems incapable of resisting this pressure. But you >> can resist it. Don't let your children continue to be the guinea pigs in >> this experiment. Here are some things you can do. >> >> WHAT YOU CAN DO >> >> First, clip out the list of GE foods, take it with you to your supermarket >> and discuss it with the management. Second, buy certified organic foods, >> whenever possible. Third, support the movement demanding long-term >> independent safety testing and labeling of genetically engineered foods. >> Inquire with the organizations below about participating in legal actions, >> petitioning of public officials, and public protests. For more >> information, please call us at the number below. >> >> PARTIAL LIST OF GENETICALLY ENGINEERED FOODS >> >> This is a list of processed foods that tested positive for genetically >> engineered ingredients (September 1999). These tests were not "safety" >> tests; they were only to establish the presence of unlabeled genetically >> engineered ingredients. >> * Frito-Lay Fritos Corn Chips >> * Bravos Tortilla Chips >> * Kellogg's Corn Flakes >> * General Mills Total Corn Flakes Cereal >> * Post Blueberry Morning Cereal >> * Heinz 2 Baby Cereal >> * Enfamil ProSobee Soy Formula >> * Similac Isomil Soy Formula >> * Nestle Carnation Alsoy Infant Formula >> * Quaker Chewy Granola Bars >> * Nabisco Snackwell's Granola Bars >> * Ball Park Franks >> * Duncan Hines Cake Mix >> * Quick Loaf Bread Mix >> * Ultra Slim Fast >> * Quaker Yellow Corn Meal >> * Light Life Gimme Lean >> * Aunt Jemima Pancake Mix >> * Alpo Dry Pet Food >> * Gardenburger >> * Boca Burger Chef Max's Favorite >> * Morning Star Farms Better'n Burgers >> * Green Giant Harvest Burgers (now called Morningstar Farms) >> * McDonald's McVeggie Burgers >> * Ovaltine Malt Powdered Beverage Mix >> * Betty Crocker Bac-Os Bacon Flavor Bits >> * Old El Paso Taco Shells >> * Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix >> >> Sources: Genetic ID (an independent testing firm) and Consumer Reports >> (September 1999). >> >> By December 1998, the U.S. government had approved the commercial sale of >> genetically engineered varieties of the following whole foods. No labeling >> or long-term safety tests were required. (According to The New York Times, >> about half of all soybeans and a third of all corn planted this year in >> the U.S. were genetically engineered.) >> >> * Canola (oilseed rape) >> * Chicory, red hearted (Radicchio) >> * Corn >> * Cotton >> * Papaya >> * Potato >> * Soybean >> * Squash >> * Tomato >> Source: Union of Concerned Scientists >> >> A high percentage of the following ingredients have been made from >> genetically engineered plants, and are commonly found in processed foods. >> >> * Soy flour >> * Soy oil >> * Lecithin >> * Soy protein isolates and concentrates >> * Corn flour >> * Corn starch >> * Corn oil >> * Corn sweeteners & syrups >> * Cottonseed oil >> * Canola oil >> >> (Signers of NYTimes full page ad October 18, 1999 ) >> Center for Food Safety >> Foundation on Economic Trends >> Food First / Institute for Food & Development Policy >> Greenpeace USA >> Friends of the Earth >> Council for Responsible Genetics >> International Center for Technology Assessment >> Organic Consumers Association >> Institute for Agriculture & Trade Policy >> Mothers for Natural Law >> Sierra Club >> Consumer's Choice Council >> Edmonds Institute >> Food & Water >> International Forum on Food and Agriculture >> Pesticide Action Network >> Rural Vermont >> U.S. Public Interest Research Group >> Center for Ethics and Toxics >> Council of Canadians >> Mothers & Others for a Livable planet >> International Society for Ecology and Culture >> >> Signers are all part of a coalition of more than 60 non-profit >> organizations that favor democratic, localized, ecologically sound >> alternatives to current practices and policies. This advertisement is #2 >> in the Genetic Engineering series. Other ad series discuss the extinction >> crisis, economic globalization, industrial agriculture and megatechnology. >> >> For more information, please contact: >> Turning Point Project, 310 D St. NE, Washington, DC 20002 >> 1-800-249-8712 * www.turnpoint.org * email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> >> ================================ >> How to Use this Mailing List >> ================================ >> >> You received this e-mail as a result of your registration on the >> biotech_activists mailing list. >> >> To unsubscribe, please send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] In the body of >> the message type: >> unsubscribe biotech_activists >> >> To post messages, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> >> For a list of other commands and list options, please send email to >> [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> In the body of the message type: >> help >> >> For other questions email [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> >> ================================ >> How to Use this Mailing List >> ================================ >> >> You received this e-mail as a result of your registration on the >> biotech_activists mailing list. >> >> To unsubscribe, please send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] In the body of >> the message type: >> unsubscribe biotech_activists >> >> To post messages, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> >> For a list of other commands and list options, please send email to >> [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> In the body of the message type: >> help >> >> For other questions email [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> >> >> >> ~~~~~ Jill Davies ~~~ River Care ~~~~ >> "You can do whatever you don't know you can't do." >> [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >-- >Mary Wulff-Tilford, DIHom;Professional Herbalist,AHG >Co-author of "All You Ever Wanted to Know About >Herbs for Pets", Bowtie Press, November, 1999. >http://www.bowtiepress.com/herbspets.asp >mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > >Catherine O'Driscoll >Canine Health Concern >http://www.dircon.co.uk/wwwchc/ > > >------------------------------------------------------------------------ >Research, reports etc are at CHC's web site: >http://www.asr-svcs.dircon.co.uk/wwwchc/ > >to leave the list send a blank email to: >[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > ************************************************************************* Editor Canine Health Naturally Newsletter Von Hapsburg Danes P.O.Box 69, Lions Bay, B.C. Fawns Naturally Reared Canada VON 2EO Barf Reared Puppies Occaisionally Great Danes at: http://www.geocities.com/Petsburgh/Haven/2536 **************************************************************************
