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Re: Moratorium Called on Genetically Modified Foods-Backers go Hungry!



Mark lets make sure we are talking about the same thing here.  we are
talking about " recombinant DNA techniques which introduce new genetic
information into the gene pool, they
    do not exist on a continuum with these other methods but are of a
distinctly different character and
    should be treated separately.

     The biotechnology industry, research scientists, consumers and the
public media frequently refer
    to the applied use of recombinant DNA techniques as genetic engineering.
For instance, one of the
    trade journals for the biotechnology industry is titled Genetic
Engineering New 
For this discussion, foods, food ingredients, and additives produced through
recombinant DNA
    technologies will be referred to as "genetically engineered,"
"recombinant," or "transgenic" foods
Agricultural products, including new varieties of fruits, vegetables,
grains, and by-products such as
    vegetable oils derives from plants modified via recombinant DNA
techniques are now being
    distributed , and a diversity of other genetically engineered foods are
under development. By far the
    largest class of these, accounting for nearly 50% of all genetically
engineered food products, are
    plants resistant to chemical herbicides and fungicides such as DDT and
bromoxynil. Others have
    been designed to be resistant to insects (e.g. Bacillus thuringiensis
delta-endotoxin) or viruses (e.g.
    potato Y virus), and others have been engineered to alter food or food
organism characteristics in
    commercially useful ways. Examples of this are the development of
tomatoes, mentioned above,
    with delayed fruit softening (antisense polygalacturonase), and the
development of canola high in
    stearic acid. Work is beginning aimed at generating foods that might
have health or nutritional
    benefits, such as reduced allergenic potential (e.g. rice).

   . A number of plants have been modified to express copies of animal
genes, for instance a flounder
    antifreeze gene has been introduced into a tomato plant. Other examples
which are intended for
    more immediate commercialization are the introduction of human and
animal cytokine genes into
    tobacco. It is envisioned that these plants might be used as factories
for the commercial production of
    these polypeptide hormones for sale as drugs.

    Applications of genetic engineering that introduce animal genes into
plants raise ethical and religious
    concerns with certain segments of the population in that the use of
foods, and possibly medicines,
    produced by such plants can be in conflict with culturally- religiously-
and ethically-based dietary
    guidelines."
"GENETIC ENGINEERING BREEDS COSTLY PROTEST--In a move that has become the
talk of the scientific
community, the 46-year-old molecular biologist is returning nearly $614,000
in grant money from the National
Institutes of Health.... He is doing so to protest what he sees as rampant
and unwise genetic tinkering with plants
and animals and the release of these novel organisms into the
environment."--The Washington Post 

More quotes from RESOLUTION CALLING FOR THE MANDATORY LABELING
                 OF GENETICALLY ENGINEERED FOODS  so you folks may have a
better understanding why we would like these recombinant DNA food labeled
and I quote "If this industry-led initiative is successful, consumers will
not be able to identify genetically engineered
foods in the market and, thus, will not be able to avoid possible risks
associated with these largely untried
additions to our food supply. These risks include the presence of unexpected
toxins and allergens, and
unintended alterations in the nutritional quality of genetically engineered
foods. Already one genetically
engineered soybean has been shown to be allergenic, and bacteria genetically
engineered to produce large
amounts of tryptophan have produced toxic contaminants that killed 37 people
and permanently harmed 1500
more in the U.S.A. 

Regulatory agencies, under pressure from the biotech industry, continue to
reduce the extent of safety testing
required for genetically engineered foods. As a result, pre-market testing
is unlikely to identify and eliminate all
possible dangers, and genetically engineered foods will enter the
marketplace accompanied by real risks to the
consumer. 

These foods are experimental. The biotech industry cannot guarantee that
they will be safe and safe for everyone.
Thus, if these foods enter the marketplace unlabeled, consumers unknowingly
and involuntarily become subjects
in a nutritional experiment of global proportions. We hold that all
consumers have the right to knowingly choose
whether they wish to volunteer for this risky experiment. Labeling of
genetically engineered foods will enable
consumers to exercise that choice. 

In addition to health risks, the production of genetically engineered foods
can, in many cases, pose risks
to the environment. They can lead to the increased use of harmful
agrochemicals, including toxic and
carcinogenic herbicides. Their use can also result in genetic pollution, in
which genetically engineered
genes enter the gene pools of wild plants by cross-pollination. These
manipulated genes can have
unanticipated effects on the wild plant, and consequently unintended harmful
effects on the ecosystem. 

Because they are concerned about these environmental dangers, many people
wish to avoid purchasing
genetically engineered foods. The labeling of genetically engineered foods
allows them to exercise that choice as
well. 

Some genetically engineered foods that will soon be on the market do not
conform to the ethical or
religious dietary guidelines, to which a growing portion of the population
adhere. Marketing these foods
unlabeled will unjustly restrict the way of life of these individuals. 

Mandatory labeling of genetically engineered foods is a scientifically valid
precautionary measure. Mandatory
labeling justly respects the rights of consumers to know what they are
buying and eating. We call on the Codex
Committee on Food Labeling to draw up international regulations that require
the mandatory labeling of
genetically engineered foods. 





At 08:17 PM 8/11/96 GMT, Mark Booker wrote:
>August 11, 1996
>Dear Sirs:
>
>Is there any non-genetically modified food for people to eat?  If there is
a not genetically 
>modified food what are the Moratorium backers going to eat?  
>
>Maybe it is okay to eat.
>See you at dinner.
>Mark
>
>
>
>