Regulation of GE Foods

[Elly]

Please send more specific information on the local (SB
and Ventura counties)campaign....re GMOs, etc.


thanks.  Elly


--- EWerb at aol.com wrote:
> GMO warriors, and peacenicks-
> 
> we had a nice little teach in on Saturday and we
> inspired a bunch of folks 
> there to take action
> 
> As our campaign develops, we aim to serve as a GMO
> speaker bureau for 
> presenting to other groups...let's find some folks
> to share our stuff 
> with...help empty nancy's car of all that good
> literature...
> 
> and look how we got all these groups fired up to
> petition FDA -
> ===========================================
> 
> P A N U P S
> 
> Pesticide Action Network Updates Service
> 
> ===========================================
> 
> Support Legal Action to Strengthen U.S. FDA
> Regulation of GE Foods
> 
> 
> April 9, 2000
> 
> 
> Coalition Files Legal Action with U.S. FDA for
> Regulation of GE Foods
> 
> 
> A coalition of more than 50 consumer, environmental,
> scientific, farm and
> 
> health groups including the Pesticide Action Network
> North America filed a
> 
> legal petition with the U.S. Food and Drug
> Administration (FDA) in late
> 
> March 2000 demanding establishment of stringent
> pre-market safety testing
> 
> regulations for genetically engineered foods (GE
> foods). The legal action
> 
> aims to replace the FDA's current voluntary and
> informal consultation
> 
> guidelines on GE foods.
> 
> 
> The submission of the petition has created an
> official rule making docket
> 
> that allows the public to write in and support the
> action. A spokeswoman for
> 
> the FDA said the agency would review the petition
> and "carefully consider"
> 
> it. The FDA is still analyzing some 25,000 public
> comments it received after
> 
> a series of public hearings in November and December
> 1999 on genetically
> 
> modified foods, she said.
> 
> 
> The FDA's current policy makes no distinction
> between GE foods and foods
> 
> bred using traditional methods, and requires neither
> pre-market safety
> 
> testing and monitoring nor labeling of GE foods. The
> coalition's petition
> 
> establishes the legal requirements and scientific
> reasoning FDA should
> 
> utilize in establishing a new regulatory system for
> the review of GE foods.
> 
> 
> The coalition is concerned that GE foods are
> currently being sold or
> 
> commercially developed without any mandatory
> government oversight such as
> 
> pre-market safety testing or labeling. GE foods
> currently on the market
> 
> include potatoes, tomatoes, soy, corn, squash and
> other fruits and
> 
> vegetables. These foods are engineered to use new
> genes from different
> 
> species, viruses and bacteria, and pose potential
> new health risks such as
> 
> creation of new allergens, increased toxicity and
> altered nutritional
> 
> levels. GE foods are now used as ingredients in
> processed foods and are
> 
> present in a number of mass-consumed food products
> from major soy-based baby
> 
> formulas to some of the most popular brands of corn
> chips.
> 
> 
> "Labeling and testing are vital given the potential
> health risks that are
> 
> associated with GE foods. The most pressing health
> concern involves the
> 
> impact of inserting genes into fruits, vegetables
> and other food products,"
> 
> said Dr. Martha Herbert, pediatric neurologist and
> vice-president of the
> 
> Council for Responsible Genetics. "With each gene
> insertion there is the
> 
> possibility that a nontoxic element in the food
> could become toxic and
> 
> create a human health hazard."
> 
> 
> The creation of new food allergies is another major
> health concern posed by
> 
> genetically engineered foods. Many GE foods contain
> proteins that have
> 
> previously never been present in the human food
> supply. Under the current
> 
> FDA "non-labeling" policy, those suffering from food
> allergies have no way
> 
> of knowing they are consuming GE foods or how to
> avoid this potential new
> 
> source of food allergy. Health professionals are
> also concerned that the
> 
> mass consumption of GE foods, most of which contain
> genetic material
> 
> resistant to antibiotics, could eventually make
> treating infections more
> 
> difficult.
> 
> 
> Action -- Tell FDA to establish stringent pre-market
> safety testing
> 
> regulations for genetically engineered foods (GE
> foods). Send comments to:
> 
> 
> Commissioner Jane Henney
> 
> FDA Dockets Management Branch
> 
> 5630 Fishers Lane, Room 1061 (HFA-305)
> 
> Rockville, MD 20852
> 
> 
> RE: Docket No. 00P-1211/CP1 and
> 
> RE: Docket No. 99N-4282
> 
> 
> Visit the Center for Food Safety Web site to see a
> sample letter at
> 
> http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org and to send
> comments via email.
> 
> 
> Source: Center for Food Safety press release, March
> 21, 2000.
> 
> 
> Contact: Center for Food Safety, 666 Pennsylvania
> Ave, 
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