Just Label It: Know What's In Your Food
Annie's Letter to the FDA
At Annie’s, we believe the best tasting food comes from simple, pure, natural and organic ingredients. We also believe that you have the right to know what’s in your food. As a food company that strongly supports organic farming, we prohibit genetically engineered ingredients in all our products and we believe that people like you should be able to make informed choices about what foods you eat. That is why we’re supporting the Just Label It campaign to ask the FDA to label genetically engineered foods.
Annie’s is deeply concerned about the potential harmful effects GMO crops have on our planet and people. A genetically modified organism (GMO) refers to a breeding technique that can transfer genes from one species to another that would not otherwise occur in nature. This relatively new science is also called genetic engineering. The most widely available genetically engineered crops include corn, soy, cotton, sugar beets and canola. But there are many other crops in development.
We want the FDA to know how much support there is to label genetically engineered foods. Until they hear from more people like us, they won’t update their policy and let us decide for ourselves. If you agree that you want to know what’s in your food, please take action by sending a message to the FDA and ask them to label genetically engineered foods. There is an existing letter through this link, but please feel free to share your concerns in your own words. We, too, have shared our concerns with the FDA, highlighting these three points:
1. Consumers deserve to know when they’re eating foods with GMOs. Because federal law does not require genetically engineered ingredients to be labeled, consumers unwittingly purchase foods with GMO ingredients. This lack of transparency hurts the consumer not only because they should be able to make informed choices, but also because they want to know! More than 90% of consumers polled in the past few years believe that GMO foods should be labeled. Whereas consumers in the European Union, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and China can make informed choices because of GMO labeling requirements, the US consumer cannot. This is a flaw in our regulatory system and we believe that the FDA needs to mandate labeling of GMO foods.
2. The long term benefits of GMO crops are unproven. We are deeply concerned about the potential harmful effects that GMO crops have on our planet and people; no independent research has been done on the long-term effects of GMOs on the environment and human health. Amongst the reasons GMO crops are planted is the expectation that they will reduce the use of herbicides and insecticides. However, according to recent research, GMO crops result in an increased use of chemical herbicides, increased insect resistance to chemical applications, the rise of super-weeds, significant loss of biodiversity, and all without a demonstrated, sustained increase in crop yields. We believe both independent and ongoing review of GMO technology is critically needed. Until then, we urge you to err on the side of caution and require GMO ingredients to be labeled.
3. Organic farmers are currently liable for others’ planting practices.As strong supporters of organic farmers, Annie’s believes far stronger measures must be taken to protect organic farmers from unintended GMO contamination. With current practices, farmers that plant GMOs take absolutely no responsibility for any GMO drift that may occur onto their neighboring organic farmers’ fields. While no harm befalls the GMO farmer, this drift could be disastrous for the organic farmer, who must meet stringent requirements of manufacturers and retailers who require that ingredients do not contain GMOs. More must be done by the FDA to ensure that the organic farmer does not lose significant premiums in the market.
Thank you for taking action.
And: watch this new video that highlights mother and friend of Annie’s, Robyn O’Brien, who wants to get one simple thing: information. Because information can be the difference between a healthy kid and a sick one. That’s why Robyn started to pay more attention to ingredient lists, and why she’s sharing her story in this new video:
http://justlabelit.org/robynlabelit
At Annie’s, we believe the best tasting food comes from simple, pure, natural and organic ingredients. We also believe that you have the right to know what’s in your food. As a food company that strongly supports organic farming, we prohibit genetically engineered ingredients in all our products and we believe that people like you should be able to make informed choices about what foods you eat. That is why we’re supporting the Just Label It campaign to ask the FDA to label genetically engineered foods.
Annie’s is deeply concerned about the potential harmful effects GMO crops have on our planet and people. A genetically modified organism (GMO) refers to a breeding technique that can transfer genes from one species to another that would not otherwise occur in nature. This relatively new science is also called genetic engineering. The most widely available genetically engineered crops include corn, soy, cotton, sugar beets and canola. But there are many other crops in development.
We want the FDA to know how much support there is to label genetically engineered foods. Until they hear from more people like us, they won’t update their policy and let us decide for ourselves. If you agree that you want to know what’s in your food, please take action by sending a message to the FDA and ask them to label genetically engineered foods. There is an existing letter through this link, but please feel free to share your concerns in your own words. We, too, have shared our concerns with the FDA, highlighting these three points:
1. Consumers deserve to know when they’re eating foods with GMOs. Because federal law does not require genetically engineered ingredients to be labeled, consumers unwittingly purchase foods with GMO ingredients. This lack of transparency hurts the consumer not only because they should be able to make informed choices, but also because they want to know! More than 90% of consumers polled in the past few years believe that GMO foods should be labeled. Whereas consumers in the European Union, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and China can make informed choices because of GMO labeling requirements, the US consumer cannot. This is a flaw in our regulatory system and we believe that the FDA needs to mandate labeling of GMO foods.
2. The long term benefits of GMO crops are unproven. We are deeply concerned about the potential harmful effects that GMO crops have on our planet and people; no independent research has been done on the long-term effects of GMOs on the environment and human health. Amongst the reasons GMO crops are planted is the expectation that they will reduce the use of herbicides and insecticides. However, according to recent research, GMO crops result in an increased use of chemical herbicides, increased insect resistance to chemical applications, the rise of super-weeds, significant loss of biodiversity, and all without a demonstrated, sustained increase in crop yields. We believe both independent and ongoing review of GMO technology is critically needed. Until then, we urge you to err on the side of caution and require GMO ingredients to be labeled.
3. Organic farmers are currently liable for others’ planting practices.As strong supporters of organic farmers, Annie’s believes far stronger measures must be taken to protect organic farmers from unintended GMO contamination. With current practices, farmers that plant GMOs take absolutely no responsibility for any GMO drift that may occur onto their neighboring organic farmers’ fields. While no harm befalls the GMO farmer, this drift could be disastrous for the organic farmer, who must meet stringent requirements of manufacturers and retailers who require that ingredients do not contain GMOs. More must be done by the FDA to ensure that the organic farmer does not lose significant premiums in the market.
Thank you for taking action.
And: watch this new video that highlights mother and friend of Annie’s, Robyn O’Brien, who wants to get one simple thing: information. Because information can be the difference between a healthy kid and a sick one. That’s why Robyn started to pay more attention to ingredient lists, and why she’s sharing her story in this new video:
http://justlabelit.org/robynlabelit
