The U.S. Government allow tens of millions of unsuspecting consumers to purchase and consume unlabeled genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in their foods without knowing what they are eating. The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has allowed this even though it has no proof that GMOs are safe for human consumption. To the contrary, internal FDA documents reflect scientists’ concerns that GMOs could pose significant health risks – but the scientists were ignored by the career bureaucrats doing the bidding of the corporate agribusinesses.

Fifteen European Union nations, Russia, Japan, China, Australia, New Zealand, and many other countries around the world require genetically engineered foods to be labeled. Consumers in those countries can — and do — choose not to buy or eat GMO food. Yet the FDA says that Americans don’t have the right to know how our food was grown, or the right to choose not to buy or eat genetically engineered food.

The Center for Food Safety has filed a formal legal petition with FDA demanding that the agency require the labeling of genetically engineered foods. FARFA and hundreds of other nonprofits are supporting the petition. Please help support this effort by sending your comments to the FDA!

Take Action #1: Tell FDA that you want them to require labeling!

You can submit comments multiple ways:

• ONLINE: www.regulations.gov/#!submitComment;D=FDA-2011-P-0723-0001
• FAX: 301-827-6870
• MAIL: Division of Dockets Management, Food and Drug Administration, 5630 Fishers Lane, Room 1061, HFA-305, Rockville, MD 20852

You MUST include the docket number at the top of your comments: FDA-2011-P-0723. A sample letter is below.

Take Action #2: Urge Congress to Support Labeling

Senator Barbara Boxer (CA) and Representative Peter DeFazio (OR) have authored a Congressional letter in support of the petition for labeling and are urging their fellow Members on Capitol Hill to sign onto their letter. You can read the letter here.

Please call your U.S. Representative and Senators today and urge them to sign on to the Boxer-DeFazio letter by the end of February!

This is not a liberal/conservative issue – it’s about ensuring that American consumers have the right to choose what they do and do not want to eat.

If you don’t know who represents you, you can call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 or go to www.congress.org. You can also use the automated online system from the Center for Food Safety at salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/1881/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=7055

Sample Letter

As always, you can have a greater impact by personalizing your letter. Tell FDA what you think! This sample letter is just to help you get started.

Re: FDA-2011-P-0723

Dear FDA:

I urge you to require labeling of foods with genetically modified ingredients.

A number of studies over the past decade have revealed that genetically engineered foods can pose serious risks to humans, domesticated animals, wildlife and the environment. Human health effects can include higher risks of toxicity, allergenicity, antibiotic resistance, immune-suppression and cancer. The use of genetic engineering in agriculture has led to uncontrolled transgenic pollution, threatening numerous microbial, plant and animal species with extinction; a dramatic increase in pesticides released into our environment; and the creation of an epidemic of herbicide-resistant “superweeds.” These health and environmental impacts matter to the public and support the requirement that these foods be labeled.

In the U.S., we pride ourselves on having choices and making informed decisions. But under current FDA regulations, we don’t have that choice when it comes to GMO ingredients in the foods we purchase and feed our families.

A market system can only work if the consumer has the ability to make choices. By allowing companies to hide the presence of GMOs in our food, the FDA has crippled the market system and allowed Americans to become part of a massive uncontrolled experiment against their wishes.

I urge you to grant the petition for mandatory labeling of foods with GMO ingredients.

Sincerely,
Name
Address