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LABEL GENETICALLY ENGINEERED FOOD

We’re less than 10,000 comments shy of our goal of one million public comments to FDA demanding labeling of genetically engineered food, and we need your help to reach it!

In the U.S., we pride ourselves on having choices and making informed decisions. Under current FDA regulations, we don't have that choice when it comes to genetically engineered (GE) ingredients in the foods we purchase and feed our families.

The Center for Food Safety has filed a formal legal petition with FDA demanding that the agency require the labeling of GE foods. Now, we are spearheading a drive with over 460 other organizations in the Just Label It Campaign, to direct one million comments to the FDA in support of our petition. The comment period is set to close Monday March 27th and we’re less than 10,000 comments shy of our goal of one million comments. We need your help to reach it!

GE 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. A poll released by ABC News found that 93 percent of the American public wants the federal government to require mandatory labeling of GE foods. Yet the U.S. is one of the only developed countries in the world that doesn’t require labeling of GE food!

Please send your comment to FDA and President Obama in support of mandatory labeling of genetically engineered foods. If you have already sent your comment please share this on Facebook, Twitter, or with your friends!

Thank you,
The Center for Food Safety


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This is something very urgent from our friends at the Environmental Working Group.

Are you one of those shoppers who always looks for the BPA-free label? If you are, we need your help.

This month, we have an unprecedented opportunity to make sure our food is free of bisphenol A.

By March 31 - just 16 days away - the federal Food and Drug Administration plans to decide whether or not to continue allowing food packaging that leaches BPA. There is no time to lose - the FDA has to hear from you before it makes its call. The government needs to know that Americans will not stand for food contaminated with toxic chemicals.

Click here to send an email to the FDA today - get BPA out of food packaging.


BPA is a synthetic estrogen used in everyday products from canned food linings to store receipts. It disrupts the hormone system and has been linked to serious health problems such as early puberty, brain and heart disorders, infertility and prostate and breast cancer. The Environmental Working Group has been at the forefront of BPA research since 2007, when we released a first-of-its-kind study that found that BPA had leached from can linings into more than half of the canned foods, beverages and liquid infant formula we tested.

Markets are already changing. Food industry giants - including Campbell's Soup, ConAgra, Eden Foods, Edward & Son, Hain Celestial Group, Heinz, Muir Glen, Oregon's Choice Gourmet and Eco Fish, Trader Joe's, Vital Choice and Wild Planet Foods - are considering reformulating their cans.

With one decision, the FDA can begin to rid food packaging of BPA for good. We need to make sure this important agency knows that consumers are tired of toxic chemicals leaching into food. There is no time to lose - the decision comes this month - so email the FDA today.

Click here to tell the FDA that you want BPA out of food packaging. There is no time to wait.


BPA is a hormonal disruptor that has serious consequences for your health. I urge you to follow the link and take action. It could be important to you or a family member.



 
 
Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce
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There's little doubt that one of the best ways to improve your health is to make sure you're eating plenty of fresh, minimally processed high-quality vegetables, ideally locally-grown and organic. So if you need to work within a certain budget, use the Environmental Working Group's Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce to help guide you to the best choices when it comes to lowering your overall pesticide exposure.

Use EWG's Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce to reduce your exposures as much as possible, but eating conventionally-grown produce is far better than not eating fruits and vegetables at all. The Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce will help you determine which fruits and vegetables have the most pesticide residues and are the most important to buy organic. You can lower your pesticide intake substantially by avoiding the 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables and eating the least contaminated produce.

Commodity crop corn used for animal feed and biofuels is almost all produced with genetically modified (GMO) seeds, as is some sweet corn sold for human consumption. Since GMO sweet corn is not labeled as such in U.S. stores, EWG advises those who have concerns about GMOs to buy organic sweet corn. It is so important to know the source of your food, and you can even call the company to ask specific questions regarding its content and source.


EWG's Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce 
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Dirty Dozen: Buy These Organic 
Apples 
Celery 
Strawberries 
Peaches 
Spinach 
Nectarines (imported) 
Grapes (imported) 
Sweet Bell Peppers 
Potatoes 
Blueberries (domestic) 
Lettuce 
Kale/Collard Greens

In contrast, these foods were found to have the lowest residual pesticide load, making them the safest bet among conventionally grown vegetables:

Clean 15: Lowest in Pesticides 
Onions 
Sweet Corn 
Pineapple 
Avocado 
Asparagus 
Sweet Peas 
Mangoes 
Eggplant 
Cantaloupe (domestic) 
Kiwi 
Cabbage 
Watermelon 
Sweet Potatoes 
Grapefruit 
Mushrooms


*If you have a smart phone and can download apps, you can download the Shopper's Guide to Pesticides app to refer to when you are grocery shopping. I also recommend downloading the Shop No GMO app and the Seafood Watch app, a sustainable seafood guide.