LETTERS; NEED LABELING FOR GENETICALLY ALTERED FOOD

To the editor:

Recently, articles about the controversial subject of genetically engineered foods have appeared in such newspapers as the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. This is an issue that affects every American regardless of political affiliation. It is an issue that poses serious scientific, ethical and religious questions.

The Food and Drug Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency have been negligent in protecting the rights of the American public in regard to this technology. The FDA has allowed genetically engineered foods to be marketed unlabeled, even though public opinion shows that a majority of Americans want such labeling, according to a Jan. 11 Time magazine poll.

Last year, the USDA, in an attempt to restructure the organic-food standards, had proposed that genetically altered foods be considered in the definition of organic. The EPA is allowing Bt bacteria (Bacillus thuingiensis), a toxic bacteria, to be genetically engineered into the cellular structure of plants including potatoes and corn. This practice caused great concern when it was discovered that monarch butterflies feeding on Bt corn pollen were dying.

We have been told these foods are safe for human consumption. We've heard that before about DDT and EDB as well as many other pesticides later shown to be carcinogenic. Other foods of concern include Roundup Ready soybeans, which have been genetically altered to withstand higher concentrations of the herbicide Roundup. Another is the Flavr Savr tomato, which contains genetic material from fish. These are just a few of the genetically modified foods that have made it to the marketplace.

Sixty to 70 percent of all food products in U.S. supermarkets contain one or more genetically altered ingredients, yet not one single study of the safety for human consumption of these products have been done. A recent study published in the British journal, Lancet, revealed that mice fed genetically modified potatoes suffered damage to their organs and immune systems. It is clear that this technology has been forced upon us without adequate studies to ensure its safety.

For more information on genetically engineered foods, visit the Mothers for Natural Law Web site at www.safe-food.org or the Campaign to Label Genetically Engineered Foods at www.thecampaign.org. On Wednesday, legislation was to be introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio in which genetically altered foods must by law be labeled. This would allow us as consumers to decide whether or not to buy these products. The bill is called the Genetically Engineered Food Right-to-Know Act. I urge you to write your elected officials asking them to support this important piece of legislation.

MIKE BROWN

Cape Girardeau