Local activists gathered outside the Safeway in Charles Village where a few spokepeople highlighted the risks involved with genetic engineering. In a demonstration symbolizing consumer rejection of these foods, several well-known brand products were "dumped" into a bio-hazard container and returned to the store.

"Campbell's should take genetically engineered ingredients out of its products in the U.S., as the company is doing in Europe, at least until safety testing for human health and the environment is completed," said Cassandra March, Chairperson of CAFE.

For over 130 years, Campbell's has built its name on "good, wholesome, high-quality food." Because of consumer concern, Campbell's, like Kellogg's, has ceased using genetically engineered soy or corn in any of its products in Europe. In a letter dated June 9, 2000, Campbell's US headquarters confirmed that the company does use genetically engineered corn and soy.

"The FDA essentially has given an entire group of food additives an across-the-board loophole to avoid safety testing," said Cassandra. "Consumer protection should be a higher priority than the Clinton Administration's efforts to promote exports of genetically engineered crops."

"These foods are on our supermarket shelves without complete research and testing," said Dr David Wallinga, senior scientist and project director at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy. "Despite what biotech industry lobbyists are saying, genetic engineering isn't the same as cross-breeding plants. Genetic engineering actually transfers genes across organisms that could never crossbreed naturally. And this can pose serious health effects, including increased allergenicity, toxicity and antibiotic resistance."

"Right now biotech companies are conducting a nationwide experiment on U.S. consumers," said Cassandra. "People have a right to know when food contains genetically engineered ingredients."

Most Americans support labeling: a poll conducted last year for Time Magazine and CNN showed that 81 percent want "genetically engineered foods labeled as such." As with nutrition labels that provide basic information about content of food products, Genetically Engineered Food Alert organizers believe that consumers have a right to know that they are eating genetically engineered foods.

Some local groups are part of Genetically Engineered Food Alert, a new coalition that also includes the National Environmental Trust, Center for Food Safety, Friends of the Earth, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, Organic Consumers Association, Pesticide Action Network North America, and the State Public Interest Research Groups.

"This is the first time that consumer, health and environmental advocates have come together as a unified front in the United States to insist on safety testing and labeling of genetically engineered foods," said Cassandra.

Genetically Engineered Food Alert calls on major food corporations to remove all genetically engineered ingredients from their products and on the FDA to remove genetically engineered food and crops from the market until they have been fully tested. Further, Genetically Engineered Food Alert believes that genetically engineered ingredients should be labeled to ensure the consumer's right-to-know, and that the biotechnology corporations that manufacture them are held responsible for any harm.

More than 250 chefs, religious leaders, doctors, environmental and health leaders, farm interests, consumer groups, and scientists have endorsed the goals of the campaign. In addition to seeking additional individual and group endorsements, Genetically Engineered Food Alert will document and bring to light problems with genetically engineered foods through a series of reports. The coalition will also register consumer comments and submit them to government and corporate officials.

Campaign organizers said that they plan a series of events and demonstrations in cities around the country. Genetically Engineered Food Alert invited the public to join the campaign by visiting its web site (GEFoodAlert.org), and asked them to register their concerns with Campbell's and Kellogg's directly by calling the companies and by sending letters to the companies urging them to remove genetically engineered ingredients from their products.

The campaign launched a website today (www.GEFoodAlert.org) as part of an effort to sign onto the call to action. The site provides sample letters so that consumers to send comments to Campbell's and Kellogg's and to FDA and USDA, fact sheets on health and environmental concerns about genetically engineered foods, campaign updates, press materials and information on the campaign.

In April, the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) released a report stating that genetically engineered crops have the potential to harm food safety and the environment, and called for stronger regulation of these crops. Shortly after that, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a statement that neither requires pre-market testing nor mandatory labeling of genetically engineered foods, and is not designed to detect potential adverse health effects from these foods.

Genetically Engineered Food Alert comes two months after the Center for Food Safety and other campaign members filed a legal petition with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) demanding the development of a thorough pre-market and environmental testing regime and mandatory labeling for genetically engineered foods. The petition provided FDA with a blueprint for developing a mandatory pre-market safety regime based upon the legal requirements of the food additive petition process.

###