In 49 countries around the world,
including all of Europe, people have the opportunity of knowing whether or not
they are eating food which contains genetically engineered ingredients. In the
United States, we don't. That is why I
have introduced, along with Sen. Barbara Boxer, an amendment to the agriculture
bill which will give states the right to require labels on good products which
are genetically engineered.
All over this country people are becoming
more conscious about the foods they eat and serve their kids. When a mother goes to the store and purchases
food for her child, she has the right to know what she is feeding her family.
Poll after poll during the past
decade showed that nine out of 10 Americans agree that food
with genetically engineered ingredients should say so on the label.
Almost 1 million Californians signed
a petition to get labeling of genetically engineered food on this November's ballot. They want the right to know what is in their
foods.
Vermont state legislators this year
tried to pass a bill that would have required foods that contain genetically
engineered ingredients to disclose that information on the label. There was a
huge public response. The Vermont House
Agriculture Committee heard from 111 witnesses in favor of the bill. Hundreds
more showed up at the Statehouse to show their support.
Of course, there are
those who disagree. Monsanto, one of the world's leading producers of
genetically engineered foods, doesn't like the idea. It is also the
world's largest producer of the herbicide Roundup as well as so-called
"Roundup-ready" seeds that have been genetically engineered to resist
the pesticide. So, o nce it seemed like the bill was headed for passage, Monsanto threatened
to sue. The strong-arm tactic worked. Despite passing out of the House
Agriculture Committee by a vote of 9 to 1, the bill went nowhere.
This week in The United States Senate we have
an opportunity to affirm the right of California and Vermont and all states to
label food that contains genetically engineered ingredients. Simply put,
this amendment gives people the right to know. It says that a state, if
its Legislature so chooses, may require that any food or beverage containing a
genetically engineered ingredient offered for sale in that state have a label
that says so.
The amendment also requires that the commissioner
of the Food and Drug Administration and secretary of U.S. Department of Agriculture
to report to Congress within two years on the percentage of food and beverages
in the United States that contain genetically engineered ingredients.
There are strong precedents for
labeling. The FDA already requires the labeling of over 3,000 ingredients,
additives, and processes. If you want to know if your food contains gluten,
aspartame, high fructose corn syrup, trans-fats or MSG, you simply read the
ingredients listed on the label. The FDA also requires labeling for major
food allergens such as peanuts, wheat, shellfish and others.
Unlike people in the United Kingdom,
Germany, France, Italy, Ireland, Australia, South Korea, Japan, Brazil, China,
Russia, New Zealand and other countries where labels are required, Americans don't
know if the food they eat has been genetically altered.
There was concern among scientists at
the FDA in the 1990s that genetically engineered foods could have new and
different risks such as hidden allergens, increased plant-toxin levels and the
potential to hasten the spread of antibiotic-resistant disease. Those concerns
were largely brushed aside. Today, unanswered questions remain. In the United
States, resolutions calling for labeling of genetically engineered foods were
passed by the American Public Health Association and the American Nurses
Association. In Canada, a landmark
independent study by Canadian doctors published in the peer-reviewed journal
Reproductive Toxicology found that toxin from soil bacterium engineered into corn
to kill pests was present in the bloodstream of 93 percent of pregnant women.
There is a great need for additional research because there have never been
mandatory human clinical trials of genetically engineered crops, no tests for
carcinogenicity or harm to fetuses, no long-term testing for human health
risks, no requirement for long-term testing on animals, and only limited
allergy testing. What this means is that, for all intents and purposes, the
long-term health study of genetically engineered food is being done on all of
the American people.
The Consumers Right to Know about Genetically Engineered Food Amendment
is about allowing states to honor the wishes of their residents and allowing
consumers to know what they're eating. Americans want this information.
It is time that Congress affirms the right of states to give it to them.
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