“MOTHER KNOWS BEST” Says M.A.d.G.E.

(Mothers Against Genetic Engineering in Food and the Environment)

The mothers of New Zealand demand the right to know exactly what we are buying and what we are feeding our children.

Last year the Royal Commission into Genetic Engineering stated in its report that consumers “should be able to exercise their own choice as to whether or not they consume genetically modified food” but we don’t have this fundamental right at the moment.

This can only be achieved is if there is a no-nonsense GE free label.

Instead what we have been given is the “ ANZFA regulations” which are unacceptable because foods derived from genetically engineered crops such as soy oil and canola oil, meat from animals fed on GE feed, and emulsifiers do not have to be declared.

Many institutions have expressed grave concerns over genetic engineering and the impacts of GE on our health.

- In February 2001, the Royal Society of Canada issued a report declaring that the presumption that GE foods entail no greater risk to be “scientifically unjustifiable.” In the words of the Toronto Star: “The experts say this approach is fatally flawed¡Kand exposes Canadians to several potential health risks, including toxicity and allergic reactions.”

- In March this year one of Britain’s most eminent and conservative body of scientists, the Royal Society, warned that until a lot more research is done, genetically engineered organisms should not be fed to pregnant women, babies, infants and the elderly.

- Further, the respected UK medical journal, the Lancet, has strongly criticized the presumption that GE foods entail no greater risk of unexpected effects than conventional ones, stating that there are,” good reasons to believe that specific risks may exist” and that “governments should never have allowed these products into the food chain without insisting on rigorous testing for effects on health.”

While the debate rages between scientists, physicians and environmentalists, we at MAdGE conclude that gene technology is a crude science still in its infancy. Until genetically engineered food is proven beyond any doubt to be 100% safe we do not want to feed it to our families. By not allowing us a clear GE Free label the government is not only depriving us of our rights as consumers but is asking us put our children at risk every time we shop!

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