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From: GMOStuff@aol.com (Campaign to Label)
To: Ban-GEF@lists.greenbuilder.com
Subject: B-GE: Very disturbing development
Date: Tue, Feb 22, 2000, 2:59 PM
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Major Health Foods Manufacturer Takes Pro-Genetically-Modified Stance
LAKE CHARLES, La.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 22, 2000--Lumen Foods
( http://www.soybean.com ), a major health foods manufacturer and the
nation's largest maker of "vegetarian jerkies," announced it has broken
ranks with Greenpeace and other environmental groups over the issue of
genetically-modified foods.
Not only is the company resisting pressure from environmentalists to
take a "non-GM" (short for "non-genetically-modified") stance, but it's
actually promising to use genetically modified ingredients in its in-house
brands. Lumen Foods is, to date, the only U.S. food processing company to
take this position.
The decision comes on the heels of announcements by much larger food
companies (i.e. Frito-Lay, Heinz, Gerber, etc.) to either ban GM ingredients
from their products, or, in the case of Frito-Lay, request that their
growers avoid GM seed. All have made the decision following vigorous
pressure from anti-GM environmental activists.
"They have it all wrong," said Lumen Foods' President, Greg Caton,
"There is no credible scientist in the world today who can show that
so-called genetically modified foods are any less healthful than those made
from traditional hybrid seed. In fact, the reverse is true. The FDA, USDA,
and EPA have all done exhaustive research into their safety and have found
nothing that remotely suggests that either the consumer or the environment
are at risk from GM seed."
To help consumers understand some of the issues surrounding
genetically-modified foods, Lumen Foods has set up a section on its web
site, called "Biotech Education Series," that contains government-sponsored
studies, reprinted articles, and letters from scientists from around the
world. (See http://www.soybean.com/bseries.htm).
"We understand that Greenpeace and other eco-groups have to have
fund-raising issues," Caton notes. "But their current campaign amounts to a
declaration of war on agricultural biotech science, and it's going to be
their Waterloo. What they are doing makes as much sense as calling for a ban
on all computers because their monitors emit low-grade electromagnetic
radiation. It's absurd. Once the public has figured out what they have done,
the greatest danger is that in the future, when really important
environmental matters are at stake, few people will listen to them, and
their more intelligent arguments will be relegated to the left-wing fringe.
This has to be stopped."
About Lumen Foods
Lumen Foods is a whole foods manufacturing company, located in Lake
Charles, Louisiana. The company was founded in 1986 to take advantage of a
new development in food science for the manufacture of meat replacement
products (or "meat analogs") from textured soy flour. It sells over 300
manufactured and packaged health food products, ranging from vegetarian
jerkies to dried fruits and vegetables to complete meal entrees to long-term
storage food items.
For more information, please contact Greg Caton, (337) 436-6748, Email:
caton@ifu.net or visit the Lumen Foods web site: http://www.soybean.com .
SOURCE: DigitalWork ( http://www.digitalwork.com )
DigitalWork.com -- Your Business Workshop
CONTACT:
Lumen Foods, Lake Charles
Greg Caton, 337/436-6748
Email: caton@ifu.net
Web: http://www.www.soybean.com
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