March 21, 2001
Ann M. Veneman, Secretary of Agriculture
Dear, Secretary Veneman:
On behalf of the Genetically Engineered Food Alert coalition, we are writing to request a meeting with you at your earliest convenience to discuss issues related to the regulation of genetically engineered foods by the Department of Agriculture. Our coalition was formed last year by seven organizations: Center for Food Safety, Friends of the Earth, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, National Environmental Trust, Organic Consumers Association, Pesticide Action Network North America, and the Public Interest Research Groups. Our primary goal is to improve oversight of genetically engineered foods, including mandating comprehensive pre-market human health and ecological testing, mandatory labeling, and liability for any damage caused by genetically engineered foods and crops to be assumed by the biotechnology corporations that manufacture them.
Enclosed is a report recently released by the coalition entitled "Regulation of Genetically Engineered Crops and Foods in the United States." It outlines the current framework at USDA, EPA, and FDA, and what we consider to be some of the most significant shortcomings with the three agencies' regulations. It also describes outstanding regulatory issues at your agency and the others, as well as summarizing a number of legal actions taken by civil society in an effort to improve regulations. We hope this paper is useful to you, and will serve as a starting point for further dialogue.
We look forward to working with you and the new Administration to improve oversight of genetically engineered foods to ensure that Americans can enjoy a safe and nutritious food supply. We believe that there are numerous ways that the regulations for genetically engineered crops can be improved, and hope to have an opportunity to talk with you soon about our views. We can be reached by contacting Matt Rand, Co-Coordinator of the coalition at 202-887-8841 or Richard Caplan, Lead Author of the policy reviews at 202-546-9707.
Sincerely,
Matt Rand , Co-Coordinators, Genetically Engineered Food Alert
Richard Caplan, Environmental Advocate, Public Interest Research Group