http://ga3.org/cfs/home.html Center for Food SafetyAdvocacy Channel Center for Food Safety &#169 Center for Food Safety http://ga3.org/campaign/CloneTracking <P><IMG hspace=4 src="http://img.getactivehub.com/gv2/custom_images/cfs/not_milk_imageonly_no_FDA_text.jpg" align=left vspace=2 border=0>In poll after poll, the American public has said that it does not want to eat food that comes from cloned animals. A 2008 Food Marketing Institute poll indicated that 77% of Americans are not comfortable with eating foods from cloned animals.</P> <P><STRONG>But we won&rsquo;t have much choice about eating cloned foods unless USDA creates a robust system to track clones and their offspring. </STRONG></P> <P>Dozens of food companies have pledged to avoid cloned animals in their supply chains, and the National Organic Program has determined that cloned animals and their offspring cannot be certified organic. But these efforts may not be successful unless clones and their offspring can be reliably identified through a national tracking system. </P> <P>Tracking is also necessary for any kind of labeling about cloned foods. The radio frequency tagging system proposed by the cloning companies stops at the slaughterhouse door and only covers clones, not their offspring; that&rsquo;s not good enough.</P> <P><STRONG>Take Action Now! Tell Congress they must allow for real consumer choice by establishing a national DNA-based tracking system for cloned animals and their offspring. </STRONG></P> alert 2009-03-30 2010-05-29 http://img.getactivehub.comnull United States House of Representatives United States Senate I am writing to urge you to establish a DNA-based tracking system for cloned animals and their offspring. Cloning technology is still in its infancy. Many Americans object to animal cloning on moral or ethical grounds, and there is no market demand for cloned foods. But the public won't have any choice about whether or not to avoid cloned foods unless USDA creates a robust system to track cloned animals and their offspring. Without such a system, cloned animals will be invisible to food companies and will inevitably end up in the food supply. Several news stories have reported that some cloned animals and their progeny have already entered the food supply. Dozens of food companies have pledged to avoid cloned animals in their supply chains, and the National Organic Program has determined that cloned animals and their offspring cannot be certified organic. But these efforts may not be successful unless clones and their offspring can be reliably identified. And a tracking system for cloned animals is necessary for any kind of labeling. The radio frequency tagging system proposed by the cloning companies stops at the slaughterhouse door and only covers clones, not their offspring; that's not good enough. Even the National Academy of Sciences has cautioned the Federal Government to monitor cloned animals and called for diligent post-market surveillance, which is not possible without a mandatory tracking system. Cloning companies and breeders of cloned animals should be required to deposit samples of the DNA of clones and their offspring with the US Department of Agriculture, and I urge Congress to put such a tracking system in place. Thank you for taking my views into consideration. I look forward to your response. http://ga3.org/campaign/Registry <P align=center><IMG src="http://img.getactivehub.com/gv2/custom_images/cfs/vday_card_sm_copy.jpg" border=0></P> alert 2009-02-12 2010-06-15 http://img.getactivehub.comnull In 2001, Hershey's and M&M Mars told consumers they would not use genetically modified sugar. But now that GM sugar beets are being planted commercially, you have made no such assurances. As a customer, I am very disappointed. I have always looked to sugar as one of the few ingredients I could count on to be GM-free, unlike corn syrups and some other sweeteners. Without labeling of GM products, I have to rely on companies that have publicly stated that they will avoid GM sugar in order to make my purchasing decisions. For this Valentine's Day, show me the love by continuing the opposition you voiced in 2001, and do not accept genetically modified beet sugar for your products. Over 70 food companies and retailers have joined the new Non-GM Sugar Beet Registry which lets consumers like me know that they plan to avoid GM beet sugar, at http://www.seedsofdeception.com/includes/services/no ngm_sugar_beet_registry_display.cfm. Please sign on to the Registry so I can continue to purchase your products with confidence. http://ga3.org/campaign/Label_GE_Food <P align=left><IMG hspace=10 src="http://img.getactivehub.com/gv2/custom_images/cfs/tell_us_label_GE_food.JPG" align=left border=0></P> <P align=left>Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio)&nbsp;has repeatedly&nbsp;introduced two bills related to GE crops and foods in the House of Representatives. The Genetically Engineered Food Right to Know Act would require mandatory labeling of all GE foods; the other, The Genetically Engineered Food Safety Act, would require mandatory, pre-market safety testing of GE foods. </P> <P align=left>We need you to contact your Representatives and encourage them to support these important bills!<BR>&nbsp;<BR><STRONG>Take Action Now! Contact your Representative and ask them to co-sponsor and support labeling and safety testing og GE foods</STRONG></P> alert 2006-06-07 2010-05-21 http://img.getactivehub.com/alert_images/take_action.gif United States Senate United States House of Representatives I am writing to urge you to support and co-sponsor legislation to require the mandatory labeling and safety testing of genetically engineered foods. The Genetically Engineered Food Right to Know Act would require labels on gene altered food, and the Genetically Engineered Food Safety Act would call for federal standards for safety assessments of these experimental foods now in our stores. It is shocking that the FDA has never developed binding federal rules to protect consumers from the food safety risks of genetically engineered foods. Unlike crops from traditional breeding, genetically engineered crops contain antibiotic-resistant marker genes, viral promoters and foreign proteins never before consumed by humans. Yet the FDA relies on the very companies that have a financial interest in bringing these biotech crops to market to assess their safety. FDA has stated, "Ultimately, it is the food producer who is responsible for assuring safety" of gene altered foods. Congress must step up and fill the gaping regulatory hole left by the FDA to protect American consumers. The Genetically Engineered Food Safety Act would fill this hole by requiring mandatory pre-market safety testing for all GE foods. The Genetically Engineered Food Right to Know Act would require mandatory labeling of genetically engineered foods. Here in America, we pride ourselves on having choices and making informed decisions. Under current FDA regulations we don't have that choice when it comes to GE ingredients in the foods we purchase and feed our families. Labeling is essential for me to choose whether or not I want to consume genetically engineered foods. Genetically engineered foods are required to be labeled in the 15 European Union nations, Russia, Japan, China, Australia, New Zealand, and many other countries around the world. As an American, I firmly believe I should also have the right to know if my foods have been genetically engineered. If food makers like Kraft and Kellogg's can label the products they sell in these countries, they can certainly do it in the U.S. A recent poll released by ABC News found that 92 percent of the American public wants the federal government to require mandatory labeling on genetically engineered foods. As ABC News stated, "Such near-unanimity in public opinion is rare." I hope you will listen to me and the other 92 percent of the American public who want mandatory labeling and show your support for American consumers by supporting and co-sponsoring the Genetically Engineered Food Right to Know Act. I look forward to a written response confirming your support. Thank you! http://ga3.org/campaign/gefish <P>The Food and Drug Administration has made the informal decision to regulate transgenic fish under its authority to review new animal drugs. Given the potential toxicity, allergenicity, and aquaculture diseases posed by the commercialization of transgenic fish, CFS is demanding that the FDA adopt a pre-market regulatory review that does not ignore these potential human health safety concerns.&nbsp;&nbsp;</P> alert 2005-06-30 2010-01-01 http://img.getactivehub.com/alert_images/forest_river.gif FDA Commissioner Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach I am writing you to express my serious concerns about the FDA's role in approving the commercial use of transgenic fish. Given the potential human health and environmental uncertainties posed by genetically engineered fish, I urge you to reject any application seeking the use and marketing of transgenic fish. I am quite concerned about the potential impacts of these fish upon my health. Genetically engineered fish (GE fish) are new to the human food supply and present unknown risks to human health, including the potential impacts of significantly elevated growth hormone levels in these fish. The FDA's failure to require toxicological testing for these fish suggests that the agency's review process is favoring the biotech industry and not acting to ensure consumer safety. Moreover, the commercialization of these genetically engineered fish poses the potential for irreversible damage to the environment. Fish farms throughout history have repeatedly demonstrated that fish kept in ocean and freshwater pens escape from their confinements. There are compelling scientific studies documenting the potential for escaped genetically engineered fish to become invasive species that could cause permanent ecological damage to wild fish stocks as well as the wider marine environment. These new studies have shown that transgenic fish are more aggressive, eat more food, and will attract more mates than wild fish. The studies also show that although transgenic fish will attract more mates, their offspring will be less fit and less likely to survive. As a result, scientists predict that transgenic fish may cause some species to become extinct within only a few generations. When one species becomes extinct, other species will likely be affected. There are already 114 species of fish, including the Atlantic salmon that are listed under the Endangered Species Act. The FDA should not promote the introduction of another threat to our endangered fisheries. For these reasons, I strongly urge FDA to fully review the significant human health and environmental risks posed by genetically engineered fish. Therefore, the approval of any GE salmon and other GE fish at this time is totally unacceptable! I fully support a moratorium on the commercialization of transgenic fish.