Washington / DC. (jli) The Just Label It (JLI) Campaign announced that a record-breaking one million Americans of all political persuasions have called on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to label genetically engineered (GE) foods. The campaign also announced a new national survey revealing that Americans across the political spectrum stand united in support of labelling food that has been genetically engineered. This is a striking contrast to the partisan divisions plaguing our political system.
«Pink slime, deadly melons, tainted turkeys, and BPA in our soup have put us all on notice that what we eat and feed our families is critically important», said Ken Cook, President of the Environmental Working Group, a JLI partner. «Americans overwhelmingly demand safety, transparency and labelling of genetically engineered foods. It is time for the FDA to come clean and restore public confidence in our food system».
Since October, JLI, the national campaign to require GE-food labelling and its more than 500 partner organizations have spearheaded an historic number of public comments for a GE-foods labelling petition (Docket #FDA 2011-P-0723-001/CP). March 27 is the date when the FDA is required to respond to the petition. It took less than 180 days to accumulate the record number of comments.
«In recent years, Americans have shown a real interest in knowing more about our food and now there is a clear mandate for the labelling of genetically engineered foods. This petition asks the FDA to stand up for the rights of average Americans, and not just a handful of powerful chemical companies. It is time for the FDA to give Americans the same rights held by citizens in forty nations, including all of our major trade partners, to know whether our foods have been genetically modified. The FDA needs to restore confidence in our food and our right to know about the food we eat and feed our families», said Gary Hirshberg, chairman of Stonyfield, a JLI partner.
New Survey Results: Motherhood, Apple Pie and GE Food Labelling
Consumer support for GE-foods labelling in the U.S. is nearly unanimous, according to the political opinion survey on GE food labelling conducted by The Mellman Group on behalf of JLI. Explained pollster Mark Mellman, «Few topics other than motherhood and apple pie can muster over 90 percent support, but labelling GE-foods is one of those few views held almost unanimously». The survey found nearly all Democrats (93 percent favour, two percent oppose), Independents (90 percent favour, five percent oppose) and Republicans (89 percent favour, five percent oppose) in favour of labelling. The study also revealed that support for labelling is robust and arguments against it have little sway. For the survey findings, visit justlabelit.org.
Colorado mother and author Robyn O´Brien, who founded the AllergyKids Foundation, a JLI partner, after one of her children had an allergic reaction to breakfast, said: «Americans are responding to the call for GE foods labelling because they want more information for their families. Like allergen labelling, GE-food labels would provide essential and possibly life-saving information for anyone with a food allergy. Being responsible for the health and safety of my children, I believe it is my right to know about the food I feed my family … from allergens, to ‘pink slime’ to GE foods».
About Just Label It
Just Label It (JLI) is a national coalition of 500 diverse organizations in the U.S. dedicated to the mandatory labelling of genetically engineered (GE) foods, also referred to as genetically modified, or GMOs. The Just Label It message is simple: consumers have a right to know about our food so we can make informed choices about what we eat and feed our families.
