Coalition for Safe Affordable Food…sounds consumer friendly doesn’t it? This group consists of some of the largest human and pet food manufacturing groups and their mission might not be in the best interest of consumers.
On the homepage of the Coalition for Safe Affordable Food it states “A federal legislative solution that will protect consumers by eliminating confusion and advancing food safety.” Further, the ‘coalition’ states “Today, foods that have been genetically modified make up 70-80% of the foods we eat.”
What this group (and its members) is trying to prevent – is state by state laws requiring GM ingredient labeling of foods. “America’s food safety laws should not be determined by political campaigns or state and local legislation. State-based GMO labeling laws would be misleading and costly to consumers and food and beverage companies.”
Coalition for Safe Affordable Food members are…(bold are high profile pet food related associations)
1. AACC International/ American Phytopathological Society
2. American Bakers Association
3. American Beverage Association
4. American Farm Bureau Federation
5. American Feed Industry Association
6. American Frozen Food Institute
7. American Seed Trade Association
8. American Soybean Association
9. American Sugarbeet Growers Association
10. Biotechnology Industry Organization
11. Corn Refiners Association
12. Council for Responsible Nutrition
13. Flavor & Extract Manufacturers Association
14. Global Cold Chain Alliance
15. Grocery Manufacturers Association
16. International Dairy Foods Association
17. International Franchise Association
18. National Association of Manufacturers
19. National Association of Wheat Growers
20. National Confectioners Association
21. National Corn Growers Association
22. National Council of Farmer Cooperatives
23. National Grain & Feed Association
24. National Fisheries Institute
25. National Oilseed Processors Association
26. National Restaurant Association
27. National Turkey Federation
28. North American Millers Association
29. Pet Food Institute
30. Snack Food Association
31. U.S. Beet Sugar Association
On the Coalition for Safe Affordable Food website, it encourages readers to write your representatives in Congress – their pre-made letter ready to send to Washington states…
“I urge you to act to establish a new, single federal framework for regulating the use and labeling of GM technology.
Currently, FDA does not require foods to be labeled as having been produced with GM technology because it has found that there are no health effects associated with GM foods or any material difference between GM and non-GM foods. However, recently some groups have put forward state ballot initiatives and legislation to require special labels for products containing these ingredients.
A 50-state patchwork of GMO labeling laws would mislead consumers, raise the price of groceries for American families and do nothing to advance food safety. Our nation’s food safety and labeling laws should not be set by political campaigns or state and local legislatures, but by the FDA, the nation’s foremost food safety agency.
GM technology is not new. It has been used safely in the food supply for 20 years. Every credible U.S. and international food safety authority that has studied GMO crops has found that they are safe and that there are no health effects associated with their use. In fact, Italian scientists recently analyzed nearly 1800 scientific studies on GMOs, and found overwhelming scientific consensus that there are no harmful effects from GMO consumption.
GMOs are safe and have a number of important benefits for people and our planet. GMO crops use less water and fewer pesticides and reduce the price of crops by 15-30%. They also help us feed a global population of 7 billion that will grow to 9 billion by 2050, especially those that suffer from hunger and malnutrition.
GM technology is a vital part of our food supply chain. Congress must establish a responsible federal policy framework that both protects consumers and facilitates informed consumer choices and helps to ensure that farmers, processors and food and beverage manufacturers can continue using GM technology to produce the safe, abundant and affordable food supply that we all enjoy today.
Thank you.”
This group wants the FDA to decide what information consumers deserve to be told. We can safely assume these trade groups feel they can manipulate the FDA a lot easier than they can an educated consumer/petsumer. “Remove the confusion and uncertainty of a 50 state patchwork of GMO safety and labeling laws and affirm the FDA as the nation’s authority for the use and labeling of genetically modified food ingredients.”
Coalition for Safe Affordable Food…what are you so afraid of? Label information is for the protection of the consumer. It’s simple – all food labels should provide the consumer (petsumer) with as much information as possible. GM ingredient, country of origin, full nutritional profile. Consumers should decide – not the FDA and certainly not industry.
Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,
Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
Author Buyer Beware, Co-Author Dinner PAWsible
TruthaboutPetFood.com
Association for Truth in Pet Food
What’s in Your Pet’s Food?
Is your dog or cat eating risk ingredients? Chinese imports? Petsumer Report tells the ‘rest of the story’ on over 2500 cat foods, dog foods, and pet treats. 30 Day Satisfaction Guarantee. www.PetsumerReport.com
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Susan’s List of trusted pet foods. Click Here
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Sharon Buchanan
February 11, 2014 at 1:00 pm
I decided to use the Coalition for Safe Affordable Food’s action message to send my opinion to my congressmen/women. Since we were allowed to add our own comments, here’s what I sent: (yes, I borrowed a bit from your report)
Dear…..
PLEASE NOTE: MY COMMENTS AND OPINION REGARDING ANY LEGISLATION CALLED FOR IN THIS ACTION MESSAGE FROM THE COALITION FOR SAFE AFFORDABLE FOOD WILL BE IN ALL CAPS.
I urge you to act to establish a new, single federal framework for regulating the use and labeling of GM technology.
ANY FRAMEWORK SHOULD REQUIRE ALL GROWERS, PROCESSORS, AND ANYONE ELSE IN THE HUMAN AND PET FOOD INDUSTRY, TO FULLY DISCLOSE AS MUCH INFORMATION AS POSSIBLE – GENETICALLY MODIFIED INGREDIENT, COUNTRY OF ORIGIN, FULL NUTRITIONAL PROFILE.
READ ON AND ASK YOURSELF, WHAT IS THE COALITION FOR SAFE AFFORDABLE FOOD AFRAID OF?
Currently, FDA does not require foods to be labeled as having been produced with GM technology because it has found that there are no health effects associated with GM foods or any material difference between GM and non-GM foods. However, recently some groups have put forward state ballot initiatives and legislation to require special labels for products containing these ingredients.
A 50-state patchwork of GMO labeling laws would mislead consumers, raise the price of groceries for American families and do nothing to advance food safety. Our nation’s food safety and labeling laws should not be set by political campaigns or state and local legislatures, but by the FDA, the nation’s foremost food safety agency.
LABELS ARE ALREADY REQUIRED ON FOOD, THE COST TO ADD A BIT MORE INFORMATION REGARDING GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOOD WOULD BE NEGLIGIBLE. IS CURRENT INFORMATION MISLEADING? HOW WOULD GMO LABELING BE MISLEADING?
IF FOOD SAFETY SHOULD NOT BE SET BY POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS OR STATE AND LOCAL LEGISLATURES, WHY IS THERE A CAMPAIGN BY THE COALITION TO HAVE CONGRESS SUPPRESS GENETICALLY MODIFIED INFORMATION?
IT IS QUESTIONABLE THAT THE FDA IS THE NATION’S FOREMOST FOOD SAFETY AGENCY. THE FDA APPARENTLY THINKS IT’S OKAY TO INCORPORATE 3D AND 4D FOOD (DEAD, DYING, DISEASED AND PUT DOWN ANIMALS), INGREDIENTS INTO MY PETS FOODS. I’M SUPPOSED TO TRUST THEM WITH MY FOOD?
GM technology is not new. It has been used safely in the food supply for 20 years. Every credible U.S. and international food safety authority that has studied GMO crops has found that they are safe and that there are no health effects associated with their use. In fact, Italian scientists recently analyzed nearly 1800 scientific studies on GMOs, and found overwhelming scientific consensus that there are no harmful effects from GMO consumption.
GMOs are safe and have a number of important benefits for people and our planet. GMO crops use less water and fewer pesticides and reduce the price of crops by 15-30%. They also help us feed a global population of 7 billion that will grow to 9 billion by 2050, especially those that suffer from hunger and malnutrition.
GM technology is a vital part of our food supply chain. Congress must establish a responsible federal policy framework that both protects consumers and facilitates informed consumer choices and helps to ensure that farmers, processors and food and beverage manufacturers can continue using GM technology to produce the safe, abundant and affordable food supply that we all enjoy today.
SO WHAT IS THE COALITION SO AFRAID OF? THAT CONSUMERS MIGHT ACTUALLY BE ABLE TO READ FOR THEMSELVES, THAT THEY JUST MIGHT BE SMART ENOUGH TO DECIDE FOR THEMSELVES WHAT IS HEALTHY AND WHAT IS NOT? I WANT FULL DISCLOSURE AS TO WHAT I’M PUTTING IN MY BODY.
LABEL INFORMATION IS FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE CONSUMER NOT THE PRODUCER! ANY LABELING POLICY MUST ASSUME THAT THE CONSUMER KNOWS BEST HOW TO FEED HIM OR HER SELF AND THEIR PETS.
THANK YOU!
Susan Thixton
February 11, 2014 at 1:04 pm
You are awesome! Thank you so much!!!
Yvonne McGehee
February 11, 2014 at 1:32 pm
Super way to respond; you go gal!
Allison
February 11, 2014 at 2:22 pm
This part really got me:
“They also help us feed a global population of 7 billion that will grow to 9 billion by 2050, especially those that suffer from hunger and malnutrition.”
But we do let people in less developed countries starve to death!! We don’t feed a global population we overfeed ourselves in North America! GMO’s have done absolutely nothing for starving people in the world. What a bunch of lies…
whirledpeas
February 12, 2014 at 10:01 pm
The GMO controversy is so huge and complex. The Coalition for Safe Affordable Food states that GM foods will “feed a global population” is a complete fabrication. There has been little to no crop yield increases compared to traditionally grown crops. GM is only held together by Big Pharma who is supplying the herbicides for the seed. Round-up Ready and Agent Orange, and all the rest.
What appalls me is that 64 countries around the world – 15 nations in the European Union, Japan, Australia, Brazil, Russia and even China, require labeling of GMO foods. AND it’s partially banned in 26 countries. In the US, lobbyists are more powerful than common sense.
carmen
February 11, 2014 at 2:26 pm
you should read what “Natural News.com” and “Dr. Mercola.com say about GMO food. That’s more of an honest opinion about GMO food.
Brent
February 11, 2014 at 2:27 pm
I think I read somewhere that GMO labeling was already in use in other countries and the earth did not fall off its axis like Big Biz would have you believe. Watch a documentary like ‘Food, Inc’ and be educated. The boards of Big Food like Kraft/Gen Mills, etc., all come from Monsanto, the leader in GMO. It will never stop as the Earth’s population continues to bloat.
Nina Wolf
February 11, 2014 at 4:56 pm
It would be interesting to see who comprises the leadership of these various councils and groups. As we have seen again and again in the pet food industry, I would bet my house that Del Monte, Nestle, Monsanto, etc feature prominently as experts and “advocates”.
Ellie
February 11, 2014 at 7:19 pm
We surely do not want the FDA having any say in what consumers should and should not know about food products. This is just another attempt to sneak something through when consumers are not paying attention……which, sadly, is most of the time.
The USA has managed to help keep needy countries fed long before GMO foods were around.
Dianne
February 11, 2014 at 11:45 pm
I have never seen an explanation of how the poor people of the world are expected to pay for this wonderful new food.
Anna DeGra
February 12, 2014 at 4:33 pm
Anthoney said, “and then it makes it harder on pain patients who need these meds for a better quality of life”
Now i dont know if this is state or just a new way of the pain clinic doing things, but now the Dr. writes on the Rx when to fill the script. I think the pharmacies are bound to do whatever it says…
While I understand this, it also makes me sad.
Having nearly 3 dozen fractures- (some healed, some not- and some healed around the nerve which I will always have debilitating pain from), I have to take a heavy duty pain reliever every day.
Know that I do not cheat, lie, sell, or steal pills.
We are required to bring each prescription with us, to each monthly visit so they can count them out.
To go without either my long-term relief or the breakthrough pills, means that I would have to sell my home, (incidentally it is the farmhouse I grew up in), and move to a ‘senior’ apartment in the city. This, because I am unable to even walk w/o my prescriptions. I also have COPD, with many problems even breathing in this weather.
i am angry at those that sell/buy/abuse these prescriptions. I don’t know how to ‘fix’ that problem, but the next paragraph should tell you why it can’t be fixed that way either…
Last month, I brought my Rx to the pharmacy- We were expecting more snow that day, followed by temps that night well below zero degrees (F); not to even mention the wind chill factor that brought those same temps down to 40+ below zero (F)…
My car is old. I already drive with a blanket wrapped around my legs because it offers me a bit of warmth in a car that has little/no heat.
Imagine how it felt to have the pharmacist tell me I would have to go back the next day because that date was written on my Rx! I had no one that could make the trip to come out here, go back to town, then return here with my Rx.
While I do intend on speaking with my doctor (he’s the man who owns the clinic). I do hope something can be done to help people like me out.
PS
I lost my stepdaughter, at 27, because she had an Rx for Xanax, plus one for her own back- methadone.
Taking her back pill when she returned home from her housekeeping job, she then checked on her 3 young children, and went to bed.
She never woke up.
Please Google “Methadone” and “One pill can kill” on ABC. I believe it was one of their 20/20 shows. That show aired exactly one week after we buried her.
C Toth
February 17, 2014 at 2:23 pm
I also used their premade message for my congressmen to send a message of my own. I changed the wording to say please STOP the attempt to federalize labeling of GMO food.
I deleted most of the message as written and simply stated that GMO foods are NOT generally accepted as safe and therefore should be labeled as such so consumers can make informed decisions about their food choices. I told them to stop industry from getting their way with the FDA.
Maybe they will read it, maybe they won’t…
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