Congressman Baron Hill letter, pt 2

My original letter:

My child suffers from life-threatening food allergies, and I’ve got to literally farm my own suburban backyard to provide safe food to feed him.

Two years ago, I conferred with a friend of mine, Robyn O’Brien of Colorado, about this issue. She has put her resources and clout to use exposing Big Food’s conspiracy to maximize profits at the expense of our nation’s children’s health–and often, their lives.

Stop this, NOW.

I am writing to urge you to support and co-sponsor legislation to require the mandatory labeling and safety testing of genetically engineered foods. The Genetically Engineered Food Right to Know Act would require labels on gene altered food, and the Genetically Engineered Food Safety Act would call for federal standards for safety assessments of these experimental foods now in our stores.

It is shocking that the FDA has never developed binding federal rules to protect consumers from the food safety risks of genetically engineered foods. Unlike crops from traditional breeding, genetically engineered crops contain antibiotic-resistant marker genes, viral promoters and foreign proteins never before consumed by humans. Yet the FDA relies on the very companies that have a financial interest in bringing these biotech crops to market to assess their safety. FDA has stated, “Ultimately, it is the food producer who is responsible for assuring safety” of gene altered foods.

Congress must step up and fill the gaping regulatory hole left by the FDA to protect American consumers. The Genetically Engineered Food Safety Act would fill this hole by requiring mandatory pre-market safety testing for all GE foods.

The Genetically Engineered Food Right to Know Act would require mandatory labeling of genetically engineered foods. Here in America, we pride ourselves on having choices and making informed decisions. Under current FDA regulations we don’t have that choice when it comes to GE ingredients in the foods we purchase and feed our families. Labeling is essential for me to choose whether or not I want to consume genetically engineered foods. Genetically engineered foods are required to be labeled in the 15 European Union nations, Russia, Japan, China, Australia, New Zealand, and many other countries around the world. As an American, I firmly believe I should also have the right to know if my foods have been genetically engineered. If food makers like Kraft and Kellogg’s can label the products they sell in these countries, they can certainly do it in the U.S.

A recent poll released by ABC News found that 92 percent of the American public wants the federal government to require mandatory labeling on genetically engineered foods. As ABC News stated, “Such near-unanimity in public opinion is rare.”

I hope you will listen to me and the other 92 percent of the American public who want mandatory labeling and show your support for American consumers by supporting and co-sponsoring the Genetically Engineered Food Right to Know Act. I look forward to a written response confirming your support. Thank you!

His response:

June 2, 2008

Dear Mrs. Harmon,

Thank you for contacting me to share your views on food safety. I appreciate you taking the time to share your concerns with me.

The recent cases of food contamination and toy safety issues from China place our families in danger. Our country has put in place strict rules to ensure the safety of consumers around the world. It is necessary to reevaluate our importation regulations for the protection of our families, especially our children.

Recently, I have worked with my colleagues in the Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection to draft H.R. 2474, the Product Safety Civil Penalties Improvement Act. This legislation prevents the use of dangerous levels of lead in products, including children’s toys, by enforcing and increasing the fines for violating the lead level limits.

Additionally, I supported passage of the Farm Bill, H.R. 2419, in late July which included a reauthorization of Country of Origin Labeling (COOL). This labeling system requires retailers to provide COOL for fresh produce, red meats, peanuts, and seafood. This provision will hopefully prevent further meat recalls, or at least increase the recall response time with COOL.

Thank you for contacting me about this important issue. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this or any issue, please feel free to contact me at 202.225.5315. If you would like to receive periodic email updates about my work, please visit http://baronhill.house.gov to sign-up for my e-newsletter.

My response:

And how does this address genetically modified foods, which are
primarily grown in the US, hurting American children?

His aid’s response:

Dear Mrs. Harmon,

Congressman Hill wanted me to get in touch with you. I apologize for the previous letter, as it did not appropriately respond to your questions. H.R. 5269, the Genetically Engineered Food Right to Know Act, was introduced in the 109th Congress by Congressman Kucinich. It has not been introduced in the 110th Congress. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has a policy regarding genetically modified foods in respect to allergens. The FDA will require labeling of genetically modified foods if a gene that is a common allergen, such as peanuts or fish, are inserted into foods where allergens are usually not present. The FDA first published guidelines for the industry in 1992 on genetically engineered foods. The FDA has evaluated over 65 genetically engineered foods and deemed them equal to their counterparts currently on the market. The companies can demonstrate that the allergenic component was not transferred to the new product, then no label is required. If legislation is introduced this year creating a new policy on genetically engineered foods, I will make sure the Congressman is aware your concerns. Please feel free to contact our office with any further questions.

Sincerely,

Kara Seward

Kara W. Seward

Legislative Assistant

Office of Congressman Baron P. Hill

Phone 202-225-5315

Fax 202-226-6866

kara.seward@mail.house.gov

Please sign up for Baron’s Briefing, the Congressman’s e-newsletter at http://baronhill.house.gov/.

My most recent response:

As the mother of a child with life-threatening food allergies, I am very aware of FALCPA, the food allergy labeling consumer protection act.

Genetically modified foods present a different issue. For instance, are you aware that research has shown genetically altered foods to have caused an increase in food allergies that are not the same “food” at all, by appearance? Point-blank, inserting genetic code from one organism into another creates a dangerous hybrid that our human bodies have not the unified capacity to absorb. This has caused an epidemic of food allergies in the United States, so that many young children like my six year old son Samuel live in fear of accidental exposure from poisonous “food.”

What Congressman Hill needs to understand is that this epidemic is spreading throughout families with absolutely genetic predisposition to food allergies–families just like my own. With no genetic predisposition to food allergies on either side of our family, why does our innocent son suddenly bear this burden? The answer lies with the introduction of genetically modified foods. Food allergies have shot up 10,000% since their introduction in the mid-1990s, and it’s no laughing matter–it is life or death for millions of American children.

ALL genetically modified foods have been identified as causing this problem. Genetically modified produce is not included in the Big Eight of life-threatening food allergies. Genetically modified food is the majority of what is in the grocery store, and if it were to be labeled, at least consumers would have the choice of eating the more expensive organic food, instead of exposing themselves blindly to something that may cause major problems down the line. Getting by on the cheap, marketing cheap, eating cheap, etc. in our quest for cheap food is coming back to haunt us. Planting the seeds God made, not the ones altered in a lab, is the only solution. For many Hoosiers, the damage is irreversible–but moving forward, we can prevent this sort of thing by informing consumers that they are not eating natural food.

The FDA has not been forthcoming about GMOs, and frankly, food allergies are only a part of the problem. I am extremely concerned that our children are being used as guinea pigs in an experiment that will prove a success to Big Food’s bottom line, and a total disaster to our nation’s long-term health. Is it any coincidence that the same money behind Big Food today was behind tobacco in the fifties and sixties?

Congress must intervene to pass a GMO-labeling law similar to FALCPA, but encompassing all genetically modified food. This is absolutely an imperative. The FDA has not come through, and the trust has been broken between food manufacturers and today’s consumer. Protect our children.

Leslea M. Harmon

CONGRESS DOESN’T GET IT. Write to Congress. Tell them this isn’t about Chinese imports or about labeling the big eight. This is about labeling the food that is not naturally-occurring on this planet. Even if you’ve not read all the research linking Frankenstein-foods to the massive epidemic of food allergies (only taking place in countries that allow genetically-altered foods!), at the very least, can you think of ANY good reason not to label GMOs? Just label them “GMO” so people will know what they are buying–like Kosher foods are marked with a “K” or a “Pareve.” This costs the food manufacturers ZERO!