Citizens Call for Mandatory Labeling of GMO Foods

CORNUCOPIA, WIS.—The Cornucopia Institute has submitted a petition signed by more than 14,000 individuals to President Obama calling for a slow down in the approval process for Dow AgroSciences’ new genetically engineered (GE) corn variety that is resistant to the herbicide 2,4-D. The herbicide was a key ingredient of Agent Orange, the defoliant used to decimate forests and farms during the Vietnam War.

Dow issued its request for approval during the Christmas holiday week, and the public was given only 60 days to respond.

“The approval for use of this new herbicide-resistant crop would exponentially increase the application of 2,4-D, a known threat to human and environmental health,” said Will Fantle, codirector of The Cornucopia Institute, a national food and farm policy watchdog group.

The GMO approval process fails to provide for long-term testing to verify that the crops are safe for consumption by animals and humans and not harmful to soil and the environment.

The petition cites the increasing body of research showing GE crops’ negative impacts on the health of soils and animals, and the growth of “superweeds” that have developed resistance to Monsanto’s Roundup Ready GE crops.

The petition also calls for mandatory labeling of GMOs giving consumers choice in the marketplace. The signators call on President Obama to fulfill the pledge he made on the campaign trail: “We will let folks know whether their food has been genetically modified, because Americans should know what they are buying,” said Obama in 2007. For more information, visit Cornucopia’s website, www.cornucopia.org.

-end-

Stay Engaged

Sign up for The Cornucopia Institute’s eNews and action alerts to stay informed about organic food and farm issues.

"*" indicates required fields

Name*
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.