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
>

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