Saturday, April 24, 2004
FDA Approved Genetically Engineered Soy and Corn in Baby Food
and Nutritional Supplements
http://greenpeaceusa.org/media/publications/babyfood.htm
FDA Approved: Genetically Engineered Soy and Corn in Baby Food and Nutritional Supplements
Laboratory analyses commissioned by Greenpeace have revealed the presence of transgenic DNA from genetically engineered (GE) foods in a popular brand of baby foods and in nutritional supplements used for tube feeding in hospitals and nursing homes. Gerber Mixed Cereal for Baby, a dry three-grain cereal mix for infants, tested positive for DNA from transgenic insect resistant "Bt" corn and herbicide tolerant "Roundup Ready" (RR) soybeans. The two supplements, Novartis' IsoSource and Ross Products' Osmolite both contained transgenic DNA from RR soy.
In addition to commissioning the analyses, Greenpeace sent a questionnaire to these and other makers of baby foods and supplements, requesting information about their policies regarding genetically engineered ingredients. The survey questions and responses are detailed in Appendix IV.
The British Medical Association (BMA), which represents over 115,000 doctors, released a report last month calling for a moratorium on the introduction of GE crops into the environment and food chain. Among other concerns, the BMA noted the potential for altered plants to add to the spread of antibiotic resistance, to lead to new and untraceable allergies, and to contain toxic by-products. The report suggests that precautionary action should be taken "for the foreseeable future...until the health and environmental impact of genetically modified organisms are fully assessed...."1
The altered corn found in the Gerber cereal includes genes that produce a bacterial toxin, Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). When genetically altered Bt plants grow, they produce the toxin, which is an insecticide farmers use to ward off certain pests. In 1991, Dr. Rebecca Goldberg outlined the kind of assessment that should be required of Bt plants and stated, "…There is insufficient evidence to conclude that Bt plants should be accepted for human consumption."2 Yet the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has never required the kind of comprehensive testing Dr. Goldberg suggested.
Instead, the FDA relies on the industry to voluntarily assess the safety of its products, despite the fact that the industry has not conducted long-term tests for effects on human health. The industry relies on chemical analyses or short-term animal feeding studies that typically last no more than ten weeks. No independent testing or review of industry data is required, and often studies are unpublished, making critical scientific analysis impossible.
More at Link
and Nutritional Supplements
http://greenpeaceusa.org/media/publications/babyfood.htm
FDA Approved: Genetically Engineered Soy and Corn in Baby Food and Nutritional Supplements
Laboratory analyses commissioned by Greenpeace have revealed the presence of transgenic DNA from genetically engineered (GE) foods in a popular brand of baby foods and in nutritional supplements used for tube feeding in hospitals and nursing homes. Gerber Mixed Cereal for Baby, a dry three-grain cereal mix for infants, tested positive for DNA from transgenic insect resistant "Bt" corn and herbicide tolerant "Roundup Ready" (RR) soybeans. The two supplements, Novartis' IsoSource and Ross Products' Osmolite both contained transgenic DNA from RR soy.
In addition to commissioning the analyses, Greenpeace sent a questionnaire to these and other makers of baby foods and supplements, requesting information about their policies regarding genetically engineered ingredients. The survey questions and responses are detailed in Appendix IV.
The British Medical Association (BMA), which represents over 115,000 doctors, released a report last month calling for a moratorium on the introduction of GE crops into the environment and food chain. Among other concerns, the BMA noted the potential for altered plants to add to the spread of antibiotic resistance, to lead to new and untraceable allergies, and to contain toxic by-products. The report suggests that precautionary action should be taken "for the foreseeable future...until the health and environmental impact of genetically modified organisms are fully assessed...."1
The altered corn found in the Gerber cereal includes genes that produce a bacterial toxin, Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). When genetically altered Bt plants grow, they produce the toxin, which is an insecticide farmers use to ward off certain pests. In 1991, Dr. Rebecca Goldberg outlined the kind of assessment that should be required of Bt plants and stated, "…There is insufficient evidence to conclude that Bt plants should be accepted for human consumption."2 Yet the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has never required the kind of comprehensive testing Dr. Goldberg suggested.
Instead, the FDA relies on the industry to voluntarily assess the safety of its products, despite the fact that the industry has not conducted long-term tests for effects on human health. The industry relies on chemical analyses or short-term animal feeding studies that typically last no more than ten weeks. No independent testing or review of industry data is required, and often studies are unpublished, making critical scientific analysis impossible.
More at Link
// posted by Linda Weissinger Lupowitz @ 6:48 PM 
