According to Stacy Malkan, Media Director for the California Right to Know 2012 ballot initiative, the genetically modified organisms (GMO) labeling measure will be called Prop 37 on the November ballot. Ms. Malkan said, "Prop 37 is about our fundamental right to know what's in the food we eat and feed our children. Given the broad support in the state - and across the country - for the right to know if our food is genetically engineered, we are confident California voters will make history by passing Prop 37 in November." There is widespread support for labeling genetically engineered foods. Ninety percent of voters in the United States and California back labeling, according to recent polls. And only 25% of American consumers think GMOs are basically safe. The European Union has been … [Read more...]
American Medical Association Calls for Testing of GMO Foods
At their annual convention in Chicago this month, the American Medical Association passed a resolution calling for mandatory testing of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and genetically engineered (GE) foods. The organization did not call for labeling of these altered foods, as many groups want, although 19 doctors did sign a statement calling for labeling. That statement said: "In the face of scientific uncertainty, labeling is a common risk management tool and one that could help track any potential adverse health effects. Our support of labeling also takes into consideration the fact that consumers want to know whether there are genetically engineered ingredients in their food, and they have a right to know. We stand with the 90% of Americans who want mandatory labeling of … [Read more...]
Senate Passes 2012 Farm Bill
The United States Senate passed the Farm Bill on Thursday, June 21, 2012 by a vote of 64 to 35. This legislation will direct the country's nutrition and agriculture policy for the next five years. The bill now goes to the U.S. House of Representatives. Many amendments were attached to the bill, as we reported on earlier this month. This is what happened to the amendments relating to food safety and nutrition: The pulse crop project, proposed by Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) passed. It would encourage the purchase of legumes for school meals. Amendment #2238 by Sen. Robert Casey (D-PA), which would require more frequent dairy reporting, passed. The amendment proposed by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) to strike the reduction in the food stamp program and increase funding for the … [Read more...]
Groups Ask FDA for Decision on GE Fish
The groups Earthjustice, the Ocean Conservancy, Friends of the Earth, the Center for Food Safety, and Food & Water Watch have sent a letter to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) asking for a response to a petition they filed a year ago. The petition asked the FDA to complete an environmental impact statement on the risks associated with genetically engineered (GE) fish. The petition was sent to the agency a year ago in response to an application filed in 2010 by AquaBounty Technologies, which wants to sell GE salmon. The FDA received more than 400,000 comments in opposition to this plan. The groups want the FDA to reach a decision on GE fish and to be more transparent in their decision-making process. Last month, Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) proposed an amendment to the … [Read more...]
Senate Roll Call Vote on Rejecting Murkowski’s GMO Salmon Amendment
A reader asked us to publish the Senate roll call vote on Senator Lisa Murkowski's (R-AK) amendment to further study the effects of genetically modified salmon on the environment and human health. We're happy to do that. The Statement of Purpose of the amendment reads: "To prohibit approval by the Food and Drug Administration of genetically engineered fish unless the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration concurs with such approval." If you disagree with your Senator's vote, exercise your Constitutional right and contact them about this issue. I'm going to! Yeas Akaka (D-HI) Ayotte (R-NH) Baucus (D-MT) Begich (D-AK) Bennet (D-CO) Bingaman (D-NM) Boxer (D-CA) Cantwell (D-WA) Cardin (D-MD) Coburn (R-OK) Cochran (R-MS) Collins (R-ME) … [Read more...]
U.S. Senate Vote Close on Genetically Modified Salmon
On May 24, 2012, the U.S. Senate narrowly voted against an amendment to further study genetically modified salmon before it is put into commerce, 46 - 50. Sixty votes were required for the bill to pass. The amendment, sponsored by Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) would have "required environmental and economic impact studies of the first generally engineered animal in the human food supply," according to a press release by the California Right to Know Campaign. The salmon, created by AquaBounty Technologies, has been engineered to contain a growth hormone gene from the Chinook salmon and a genetic switch from an eel-like creature, the press release states. The growth hormone makes the salmon grow twice as fast as normal. The engineered female fish will be made sterile by inducing … [Read more...]
GMO Labeling on California Ballot This Fall
The Right-to-Know campaign has obtained more than enough signatures on its GMO labeling petition to appear on the California ballot this fall. The petition will require GMO labeling on foods in California. The measure would require food manufacturers to identify genetically modified organisms (GMOs) that are in any food sold in California. This may lead to nation-wide labeling so manufacturers don't have to print two labels on the same product. When California added the caramel coloring 4-MI to its list of carcinogens under Proposition 65 in 2009, the manufacturer of that product agreed to change it to meet California's standards. Food Poisoning Bulletin asked Stacy Malkan, Media Director for the California Right-to-Know 2012 ballot initiative, about this issue. She said, … [Read more...]
Members of Congress Ask FDA to Label GMO Foods
On March 12, 2012, 10 United States senators and 45 representatives sent a letter to Margaret Hamburg, Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, in support of a petition to label genetically modified foods (GMOs). The Center for Food Safety, along with Just Label It! launched the petition, which is filed under Docket #FDA-2011-P-0723-0001/CP. The petition is supported by more than 400 consumer groups and health organizations. They believe that labeling is necessary for consumers to make informed decisions. Genetically modified foods are created when scientists literally modify the genes of plants or animals to generate desired characteristics, such as resistance to pesticides or cold temperatures. The letter was originated by Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Representative … [Read more...]
Legal Petition Filed With FDA to Label Genetically Modified Foods
Healthy Child Healthy World and Just Label It! have joined forces to petition the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), calling on the government to label genetically engineered (GE) foods. … [Read more...]
