WANT TO READ WHAT DEPT OF HEALTH IS SAYING ABOUT LABELING??? LABELING FOOD FROM GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISMS would be required by SB 2521. Also championed by Sen. Josh Green, it would mandate the labeling for raw agricultural commodities, processed food, and seed or seed stock, that have been genetically engineered. “The people of Hawai`i have a right to know what is in the food they eat,” Green said. “If the people want a label informing them that there are GMOs in foods, then the legislature should follow their will and pass a simple but effective labeling system.” The bill was passed on Feb. 13 in a hearing of the Senate Committee on Health. It was referred to the Senate Committees on Consumer Protection and Ways and Means, which are yet to schedule hearings. See capitol.hawaii.gov/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=SB&billnumber=2521 Chris Manfredi, of Na`alehu, a coffee broker and land manager, who recently became President of the Hawai`i Farm Bureau Federation, testified that the Hawai`i Farm Bureau strongly opposes SB 2521. He said, We strongly believe that food labeling should be regulated at a federal level. Manfredi also stated: There are no credible studies, much less a consensus among researchers and the medical community, that crops produced with GMO technology are unsafe. In fact the opposite is true. Independent reviews of thousands of studies have to come to the consensus conclusion that GMO crops are safe. Green disagrees with Manfredis opposition to labeling and is joined by another physician, Dr. Richard Creagan, who represents west Ka`u in the state House of Representatives, owns a farm in Ka`u, and is a member of Hawai`i Farmers Union United. Creagan said this morning that People will not agree on safety of GMOs because there is a range of GMOs and many studies to be done. However, the right to know is important. If you are worried about whats in your food it is going to have a negative affect on your health. The only way to allay suspicions it to label what is in the food. The Europeans have done this, noted Creagan. Green disagrees with Manfredis opposition to labeling and is joined by another physician, Dr. Richard Creagan, who represents west Ka`u in the state House of Representatives, owns a farm in Ka`u, and is a member of Hawai`i Farmers Union United. Creagan said this morning that People will not agree on safety of GMOs because there is a range of GMOs and many studies to be done. However, the right to know is important. If you are worried about whats in your food it is going to have a negative affect on your health. The only way to allay suspicions it to label what is in the food. The Europeans have done this, noted Creagan. However, the state Department of Health does not want to be involved in regulating GMO labeling. Gary Gill, Deputy Director of Evironmental Health for the State of Hawai`i, testified that the department does not object in principle to a labeling policy to enhance public awareness of the absence or presence of genetiacally engineered food or food ingredients in Hawai`i markets. However, the Department is not in a position to enforce such legislation because practical and legally defensable anyalytical methods to detect any and all genetic modifications do not exist. The testimony from the state Department of Health also states that Currently, there is no conclusive scientific evidence of negative health effects associatied with the consumption of genetically engineered food or food products as determined by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. As such we do not believe such labeling is a health issue and thus do not support any such program being assigned to the Department to administer. Hawai`i Farmers Union United wrote to the legislature in strong support of SB 2521 requiring GMO food labeling. The Farmers Union testimony noted that many of its thousands of farmers across the country grow GMO foods but the organization supports labeling. The public has come out in record numbers for local GMO bills on both Kaua`i and Big Island. This is just another sign that the public wants the lawmakers of our state to give us, at the very least, this tool so that we can make informed decisions as consumers, states Hawai`i Farmers Union testimony
Posted on: Sun, 16 Feb 2014 05:13:03 +0000
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