Because several people asked for more information and I received this by post, I am reposting it for all of my 1500+ friends to read yourselves. It explains things far better than I could and provides MORE information than the little blurb I saw in Organic Gardening. (On that front, my new compost pile is starting to "work." Yippee!) (Non-gardeners, skip this; those of you who garden can clap your hands in unison with mine.) :-) >There are only 4 companies that manufacture baby formula in the USA. All four >of these companies products have been tested by Genetic ID, a US test lab and >were found to contain at least trace amounts of Monsanto's RRS, genetically >engineered soybeans. This was reported in an article in the New York Times by >Marian Burros on May 21, 1997. I enclose the article. >Thanks for contacting us. For further info, please access our web siote at: >http://www.geocities.com/Athens/1527 > THE NEW YORK TIMES > > May 21, 1997 > > Trying to get labels on genetically altered food > > By MARIAN BURROS > >Last December, Whole Foods Market, the largest natural foods supermarket >chain in the country, sent letters to more than 400 of its suppliers, asking >if their products contained genetically engingeered ingredients. About >three-quarters of the suppliers have not yet responded. > >"Most of them don't know about their ingredients and are scrambling to find >out," said Margaret Wittenburg, quality assurance director of Whole Foods, >who wrote the letter. > >Most Americans are in the dark, too. They have no idea what foods on their >supermarket shelves contain genetically engineered ingredients because the >Government does not require those products to be labeled. A small but >growing movement of people is pushing for that to change. > >Genetically engineered food is created by taking the DNA from one organism >and inserting it into another. The process passes on certain characteristics >to plants and animals. The resulting organism is called "transgenic." This >modification of gene material is not possible with traditional selective >breeding. > >No tests have been conducted to determine the impact of transgenic food on >the human diet. At least one study published in the New England Journal of >Medicine, however, has shown that some genetically engineered food has the >potential to cause allergic reactions. > >Producers are turning to genetic engineering for a more abundant, less >expensive and more nutritious food supply. Biotechnology companies like >Monsanto and Novartis produce genetically engineered soybeans, tomatoes, >squash and corn. There has been talk, for instance, of inserting flounder >genes in tomatoes to keep them from freezing. > >More soybeans are genetically engineered than any other food, and 13 percent >to 16 percent of the country's soybean crop is being grown from genetically >engineered seeds. Between 60 and 70 percent of processed food contains soy, >but there is no way to know, > >without testing, how much of that is genetically engineered. About 2 percent >of the corn crop is genetically engineered. > >Europeans have been quicker than Americans to react to transgenic food. >Thousands of Europeans, rallied by Greenpeace and green parties, have >participated in referendums and rallies, signed petitions and marched in >protest to the corporate headquarters of biotechnology companies. They have >demanded that transgenic food be labeled and kept separate from other food. >The European Commission has proposed strict labeling. In Austria and >Luxembourg, genetically engineered food is banned. > >Most observers suggest that Europe's response is so much more intense >because of the European experience with mad cow disease. > >It's not that Americans are ignorant of genetic engineering -- almost >everyone is aware of Dolly, the sheep that was cloned. And many people have >raised objections to milk from cows that have been given the genetically >engineered bovine growth hormone to increase milk output. Americans also >have strong opinions about the need for labeling. > >In a survey announced this year by Novartis, 93 percent of respondents >agreed that labeling is needed. At the same time, 21 percent said transgenic >food is very safe, and 50 percent said it is somewhat safe. > >So far, small groups of consumer advocates are raising health and >environmental concerns about genetically engineered products. Those >consumers pushed Whole Foods to get answers from their suppliers. The >company wrote in its first letter to its suppliers that mandatory labeling >"is the only way consumers can exercise their right to choose not to consume >genetically engineered foods." It added, "Accordingly, Whole Foods Market is >requiring verification from your company as to whether the single or >multiple ingredients in your products are from genetically engineered >sources." > >In two months, the company heard from only a quarter of the suppliers. It >wrote the others: "First we wanted you to understand the depth of passion >that our customers have for accessing food from nongenetically engineered >sources. Second, we wanted to be the impetus for manufacturers to pressure >their suppliers for assurance of nongenetically engineered sources. Third, >we wanted to see what the reality of the situation truly is at this time for >manufacturers being able to access nongenetically engineered ingredients." > >The company is also urging customers to write to the Food and Drug >Administration demanding labeling. There are signs that the consumer >movement is gaining momentum. Nebraska and Maine are considering legislation >for labeling. Mothers for Natural Law, a nonprofit consumer advocacy group, >has begun a public awareness campaign. The group, which is affiliated with >the Natural Law Party, which promotes transcendental meditation, wants to >collect a million signatures on a petition asking the Food and Drug >Administration to require testing and labeling of transgenic foods. > >In this country, transgenic food is not tightly regulated because the Food >and Drug Administration says it is safe. Companies must get F.D.A. approval >to market a genetically engineered product only if the food contains a known >toxic substance, nutrients that are different from the original food, any >new substances or a known food allergen, or if it uses antibiotic-resistant >genes. Labeling is required only if a transgenic food carries a known food >allergen. For those with unusual allergies, like one to bananas, there is no >way to know what foods to avoid. > >The problem of allergens was outlined in the New England Journal of Medicine >for May 14, 1996. In a study at the University of Nebraska a gene from a >Brazil nut was introduced into a soybean. The genetically modified soybean >was tested on people known to be allergic to Brazil nuts, and they had an >allergic reaction to the modified soybeans but not to the unmodified >soybeans. > >"Genetic engineeers are taking genes from bacteria, viruses and insects and >adding them to fruits, grains and vegetables," said Dr. Rebecca Goldburg, an >Environmental Defense Fund senior scientist. "They are producing foods that >have never before been eaten by human beings. Consumers should not be guinea >pigs for untested food substances." > >Skip Rogland, the vice president of communications for Novartis in the >United States, said that as long as the federal government approves the >products, "consumer safety has been protected, and we've complied with the >law." He added that the company supports "labeling of genetically engineered >raw products when there is scientific evidence that requires it." > >How prevalent is transgenic food? This column asked Genetic ID, a company in >Fairfield, Iowa, that tests food for genetically engineered ingredients, to >test four soy-based baby formulas and eight other products made with soy or >corn. The formulas -- Carnation Alsoy, Similac Neocare, Isomil and Enfamil >Prosobee -- all tested positive. Eden Soy milk tested negative. Morningstar >Farms Breakfast Links and Morningstar Farms Better 'n Burgers, Betty Crocker >Bac-os Bacon Bits, all soy-based products, also tested positive. And so did >three corn-based chips -- Fritos, Tostitos Crispy Rounds and Doritos Nacho >Cheesier. > >Consumer advocates worry that treating infections could become more >difficult because some genetic engineering introduces antibiotic-resistant >genes into food. And critics have raised concerns about potential >environmental problems, like the unintentional creation of weeds resistant >to some herbicides and pests resistant to certain pesticides. > >For now the only way Americans can avoid genetically engineered food is to >choose certified organic food. But even that might change. > >The Agriculture Department is expected to release national standards for >organic foods this year, and there is concern among organic farmers and >processors, consumer advocates and some scientists that the department will >override the recommendations of the National Organic Standards Board, which >voted to prohibit genetically engineered foods from being labeled organic. > >Following is a list by Genetic ID of Fairfield, Iowa, of genetically >engineered foods that have been approved by the federal government, that >await approval or that are under development. An asterisk marks foods that >are for sale. > >Abalone >Alfalfa >Apples >Asparagus >Barley >Beets >Broccoli >Canola (rapeseed oil)* >Carrots >Catfish >Cauliflower >Cheesemaking enzymes (chymosin)* >Chestnuts >Chicory >Corn* >Cotton (cottonseed oil)* >Cucumbers >Flaxseed >Grapes >Kiwi fruit >Lettuce >Melons >Papayas >Peanuts >Pepper >Potatoes >Prawns >Raspberries >Rice >Salmon >Soybeans* >Squash* >Strawberries >Sugar cane >Sunflowers >Sweet potatoes >Tomatoes* >Walnuts >Watermelons >Wheat > > Copyright 1997 The New York Times Company > mailto:[log in to unmask] "We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations." Kathleen G. Auerbach,PhD, IBCLC (Ferndale, WA USA) [log in to unmask] WEB PAGE: http://www.telcomplus.net/~kga/lactation.html LACTNET archives http://library.ummed.edu/lsv/archives/lactnet.html