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A Letter from our Representative in Congress |
Surely you're not eating tomatoes injected with the DNA of a fish or a soybean
product combined with the genetic material of a brazil nut. Of course you're not
subjecting your children to milk from cows treated with bovine growth hormones or
using products with corn genetically engineered to produce its own pesticide. Not
that you would know. There is absolutely no requirement that foods containing genetically
engineered ingredients or genetically modified organism be labeled.
I recently introduced legislation with a bipartisan group of colleagues called the
Genetically Engineered Foods Right to Know Act. This legislation would require the
labeling of foods that contain genetically engineered ingredients, just as food products
currently have to be labeled if they contain additives and preservatives or if they're
frozen. This is simply a matter of consumer choice and common sense.
Public opinion polls consistently show that most Americans are not aware they are
eating genetically engineered foods. Consumers can't be blamed for being misinformed
since no manufacturers advertise the genetic alterations to their products. In reality,
the U.S. government has approved the commercial sale of a number of core food ingredients
containing genetically altered materials such as soybeans, potatoes, corn, canola,
and tomatoes. Currently, about half of all soybeans and a third of all corn planted
in the U.S. is genetically altered. These products inevitably make their way into
our food supply.
Genetically engineered foods were approved for sale without any long-term safety
tests being conducted by government regulators. The same Food and Drug Administration
that hounds the dietary supplement industry to maintain strict product labeling has
blithely allowed the sale and consumption of products that have the core of their
existence, their genetic makeup, altered. The danger in not adequately testing is
highlighted by the recent discovery that individuals allergic to brazil nuts are
also allergic to soybeans injected with genetic material of brazil nuts. Without
proper labeling, consumers with allergies will have no idea which products they need
to avoid.
In addition to health concerns about genetically modified foods, there are environmental
and economic concerns that have not been fully addressed. Genetically modified plants
and animals may transfer genetic material and, in unforeseen ways, threaten biological
diversity. For example, a study by Cornell University found that pollen from genetically
engineered plants drastically reduces monarch butterfly populations. Crops engineered
to be herbicide-resistant may also force an increase in chemical usage to kill weeds
as they mutate into "super-weeds" in response to the
herbicide. This will impact the environment and cause farmers to spend scarce resources
on chemicals rather than crops.
I am also a co-sponsor of an additional food safety bill. The Consumer Food Safety
Act of 1999, H.R. 1612, is a comprehensive effort to address the continuing problem
of food borne illnesses. Consumers have a right to expect their food supply to be
the safest in the world and to know what they are putting into their bodies. These
two bills will address these issues.
