Despite overwhelming popular support during the campaign season, early indications show that California’s Proposition 37 has been defeated by opponents of our basic right to know what’s in our food.
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Polls open tomorrow in California and Californians are asked to choose whether genetically modified foods and ingredients should be labeled. Vote YES on Proposition 37 and urge others to do the same. Truth in labeling lawsuits are gaining prominence as increasingly consumers are taking giant food companies to task about their potentially misleading food labels. 
There is a growing demand from consumers to know what is in their food. In response to this demand, sprouting across the nation are bills seeking to label foods containing genetically modified ingredients. 
All Natural chips made by Frito-Lay may not be so natural after all, says a new lawsuit alleging that the snack-maker is misleading consumers with its all natural claims when in fact the products are made from genetically modified ingredients. Dennis J. Kucinich (D-OH) has once again introduced a bill that would require require the labeling of all foods that contain or are produced with genetically engineered material. It is a counter-balance to another pending legislation that could strip USDA of some of its authority to approve to biotech crops. Without mention of socioeconomic facts and reiterating biotech industry talking points about GMOs, last year’s workshop of Islamic scholars wholeheartedly approved of agricultural biotechnology. However, conclusions of the workshop are questionable. 
The recent lawsuit against ConAgra Foods challenges the “pure” and “100% natural” labeling on the popular line of Wesson cooking oils allegedly made with genetically modified corn and soybeans. Watch this discussion about the nature of the suit. 
Two class action suits challenge the “pure” and “100% natural” labeling of ConAgra’s line of Wesson cooking oils. Can something genetically modified be also natural and pure? 
Cows producing human breast milk?! Hold the laughter, this story is real. Scientists in China and Argentina genetically modified cows to produce human breast milk. Milk and cookies, anyone? 
The next generation of biotech crops are designed to express alleged nutritional benefits. However, advertising such foods as “healthy” would only confuse the consuming public. 
The first genetically modified bananas were recently harvested in Australia. But there is little reason to celebrate as, like other GMOs, genetically modified bananas bring to the table the same unanswered questions and concerns about their impact on health and the environment. 
While the Christian perspective on GMOs has never been uniform, the recent changes in the Vatican’s leadership may signal a change in the perspective of the Holy See on GMOs. We examine the Vatican’s official “no position” on GMOs. 
The Institute for Responsible Technology (a.k.a. The Campaign for Healthier Eating in America) together with the Center for Food Safety, have updated their Non-GMO Shopping Guide. The updated Guide includes new features, such as a free iPhone App, ShopNoGMO, and it also cross-references products that participate with the Non-GMO Project’s third party GMO Avoidance Verification Program. 
A new Non-GMO Shopping Guide is now available from the Non-GMO Project featuring tips on avoiding GMOs and a list of food companies that have made a commitment to providing GE free products. We recommend that you check it out. 
We’ve all been told: consume Omega-3 fatty acids, usually found in cold water oily fish, for better health. But we’ve also been warned: with global fish stocks in decline, if everyone consumed the recommended amounts of fish in order to obtain enough Omega-3s, the results would be catastrophic for wild fish. Enter Monsanto: with the collaboration of Solae, the company has developed a soybean that has been genetically engineered to contain the Omega-3 fatty acids. 
German researchers have successfully transferred a fungal resisting gene found in bacteria and other plants into peas but as a result of high administrative costs and political uncertainty in Germany, they will continue field testing genetically modified peas in United States. 
Our friends a The Center For Food Safety have released an updated Shoppers Guide to Avoiding Genetically Engineered Foods. The guide is helpful because currently United States has no labeling requirements for foods and consumers have no way of knowing if the foods they eat contain or are likely made of genetically engineered ingredients.G 
Comments made by Cardinal Martino, as described more fully below, suggest to many that the Vatican has either endorsed the use of GMOs or, at a minimum, welcomed the idea of using GMOs as a way to address world hunger. 
The United States Department of Agriculture shares significant regulatory authority over GM crops with FDA and EPA. Transgenic, or genetically modified, plants are regulated by USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (“APHIS”) under the Plant Protection Act (“PPA”). The FDA’s regulatory approach thus focuses on the end product, rather than the process used to create genetically modified foods. In short, the FDA regards GM products as “generally regarded as safe,” (“GRAS”) and does not subject GM food products to food additive review. 
The Food and Drug Administration is the lead regulatory agency of food articles. It is in charge of ensuring the safety and effectiveness of food (other than meat), food additives, medical devices, drugs, veterinary drugs, cosmetics and genetically engineered food. 
This Pocket Shopper’s Guide to Avoiding GE Foods published by The Center for Food Safety answers the most pertinent and urgent consumer question about genetically modified foods. Which supermarket foods are genetically engineered? Presently, it is questionable whether the genetically engineered foods are adequately controlled and/or regulated under U.S. law. There is no single federal statute or federal agency that governs the subject matter. Three federal agencies are primarily responsible for the regulation of genetically engineered foods – the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). |
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