November 16, 1995
Action Alert
Consumer Action for Safe Food
Food and Water, a U.S. grassroots advocacy group, has
initiated a national consumer campaign to protect people from
pesticide residues in food because Congress has proven unable
to do so. On November 2, 1995, Food and Water initiated its
campaign targeting major supermarket corporations that sell
foods contaminated with pesticide residues.
The campaign aims to convince supermarkets that consumers
will not tolerate food grown with toxic chemicals, and that
organic and pesticide-free produce are the only acceptable
alternatives. The targeted regional supermarket corporations
are Albertson's, Safeway, Hy-Vee, Kroger, Winn-Dixie, Grand
Union and Shaw's. According to a Food and Water press
release, these seven chains were chosen because they are
well-known and have a significant market share, and, because
a change in any of these corporation's policies regarding
pesticides is likely to affect other supermarkets' policies.
The Food and Water campaign calls for people to contact
regional supermarket customer service offices and demand that
they make available food grown without toxic chemicals. Food
and Water argues that supermarket chains enable agribusiness
to continue using dangerous pesticides by selling and
promoting fruits and vegetables grown with agrochemicals --
the campaign press release points out that supermarket
corporations recently supported lawmakers' attempts to ease
pesticide regulations in Congress.
To facilitate consumer action, Food and Water is distributing
"Pesticide Action Alert," a flyer that provides background
information and phone numbers for the supermarkets' nine
regional corporate headquarters*. More than 20,000 action
alerts have already been sent to activists across the
country, and at least 80,000 more will be distributed in an
effort to mobilize support.
The action alert flyer explains how current U.S. laws protect
corporations rather than people and the environment. The U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) use of risk
assessment to determine the "acceptable" number of people who
will get cancer from exposure to pesticides in food is
highlighted in particular. Moreover, EPA's risk assessment
methodology does not take into account the possible
compounding effect of multiple exposures to many pesticides
over a lifetime.
Contact Food and Water for more information about the
campaign, to request a free "Pesticide Action Alert" flyer or
to purchase a campaign organizers' kit (US$5).
*Call the supermarket located in your area of the U.S.
Albertson's (208) 385-6200
Safeway (510) 891-3000
Hy-Vee (515) 267-2800
Kroger (800) 632-6900
Grand Union (800) 221-1835
Shaw's (508) 378-7211
Winn-Dixie (904) 783-5000
Contact/Source: Food and Water, RR. 1, Box 68 D, Walden, VT
05873; phone (800) EAT-SAFE or (802) 563-3300; fax (802) 563-
3310.
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