|
USDA Secretary Veneman Misinforms World Press on
U.S. Safety Policy on Genetically Modified Foods
Letter of Response Shows Evidence of Harm From GM Foods
Cancun, September 11-- United States Department of Agriculture Secretary Anne Veneman misled the global press and WTO delegates at an afternoon press briefing on Tuesday, September 9, by announcing that the U.S. has "a very thorough review process for bioengineered foods" that includes a "look at the safety issues." Secretary Veneman's comments were in response to a question by author and expert Jeffrey Smith, who points out that there is actually no required safety tests whatsoever; recent Congressional testimony by the deputy commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration confirmed that biotech companies do not even need to inform the government when introducing genetically modified (GM) foods into the market.
Veneman's remarks, according to Smith, reinforce the myth that GM foods have been subject to extensive safety testing. In reality, there have been only ten published animal feeding studies, the most in-depth of which showed extensive unexplained damage to the immune system, digestive function, and organ development, and a potentially pre-cancerous condition.
Smith says, "Today, as the UN Biosafety Protocol goes into effect, nations who undertake a risk assessment of genetically modified foods will be shocked to discover how unsafe they are. Nations may now ban GM crops based on their findings."
Smith's question to Secretary Veneman and U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Zoellick described one GM food supplement that killed about 100 Americans and caused another 5,000 - 10,000 to fall sick. Smith reveals new information about this deadly epidemic in his just-released exposé, Seeds of Deception: Exposing Industry and Government Lies about the Safety of the Genetically Engineered Foods You're Eating. He points out that FDA documents made public from a lawsuit reveal that many senior U.S. government scientists considered GM foods potentially toxic and urged their agency to require long-term safety tests on each new variety. Political appointees following White House instructions to aid the biotech sector ignored the scientist's warnings. More information is available at www.seedsofdeception.com and in the letter to Secretary Veneman that follows.
|
