GMO Salmon

If you don't already get Credo Action Alerts I wanted to make sure you saw this. The FDA is days away from approving (or hopefully not) genetically engineered salmon, the first animal manufactured for human consumption.

Here is the letter Credo sent out along with the link to sign a petition to voice your concern:

AquaBounty Technologies created the mutant Atlantic salmon by artificially combining growth hormone genes from a Pacific salmon with DNA from an eelpout. This keeps the fish growing year round, confined in crowded inland tanks -- unlike ocean pens where conventionally farmed salmon are raised.

Here's where it gets really scary: the FDA doesn't do its own testing of genetically engineered animals. It relies on information provided by the company that wants approval -- just like they did in their oversight of the egg industry which produced the largest salmonella outbreak in U.S. history last month.

And because genetically engineered salmon are being considered as a new "animal drug," there's little focus on the potential dangers of people consuming modified salmon. It's not enough that raising salmon in crowded factory fish farms contaminates our food with antibiotics and other chemicals. Now the FDA would be adding additional unknown risks of GE salmon to the mix.

Stop the madness and stop the mutant fish from reaching your plate.

Send a message to:
President Barack Obama
Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services
Margaret Hamburg, Commissioner, FDA
Marcia Larkins, Center for Veterinary Medicine Ombudsman, FDA

Take action here.

Stop Monsanto Please Sign the Petition

This just in from CREDO Action:

During the Bush administration, Monsanto illegally won USDA approval for its genetically engineered (GE) alfalfa by convincing regulators to bypass a mandatory environmental review. In response to a lawsuit by consumer groups, the courts then stepped in and banned GE alfalfa until the USDA followed the law.

In December, the USDA released its belated review of Monsanto's GE alfalfa seed and determined that Monsanto's alfalfa met the Obama Administration's standards, despite the risk of organic contamination.

This conclusion came despite the acknowledgment by USDA researchers that GE alfalfa is virtually certain to "contaminate" normal seeds. Cross-contamination is the number one concern with genetically engineered crops.

The USDA is accepting public comments on Monsanto's application through February 16. Tell the USDA that Monsanto's alfalfa cannot be approved — the future of organics depends on it.

Organic contamination is devastating for organic farmers, especially organic dairy farmers, most of whom use organic alfalfa for feed. The presence of even the smallest amount of GE material can cause a farm to lose its organic certification. And court documents indicate that early plantings of GE alfalfa did contaminate conventional alfalfa. Yet the USDA maintains that Monsanto's existing safety protocols are good enough. This is ridiculous!

Even worse, the USDA concluded that the possibility of contamination of organic fields is of no concern, since consumers won't care if their organic food or milk contains genetically engineered components. Yet central to the definition of the USDA Organic label is the total absence of genetically modified ingredients. An overwhelming majority of consumers buy organic to avoid GE products and would be shocked to learn the USDA is so cavalier about the risks of transgenic contamination.

Tell the USDA you care about GE contamination. Keep Monsanto's genes out of our food!

Thank you for working to build a better world.

Adam Klaus, Campaign Manager
CREDO Action from Working Assets