Hello everyone,
I think with all statements concerning the highly polarized issue of GMOs,
you need to look carefully at people's affiliations. I don't know anything
about Lumen Foods, but in the case of Senator Bond, his state of Missouri
is home to Monsanto.
Awhile back I heard a talk show that featured Peter Raven, Director of the
Missouri Botanical Garden and one of the world's foremost experts on
biodiversity. The subject of GMOs came up and I expected to hear some
cautionary statements about the potential risks to native biodiversity
posed by introduction of GMOs into the environment.
What he said was that genetic engineering is just like any other form of
plant breeding and that there is really nothing to worry about. This kind
of surprised me until I thought about where MO Botanical Garden is located:
St. Louis, and how companies like to contribute to good causes in their
communities. Later I learned that Dr. Raven's wife works for Monsanto in
some sort of public relations/education role.
Kind of an eye-opener.
Kindest regards,
Laura
At 09:36 PM 2/22/2000 -0500, you wrote:
>That has to be the most proposterous thing I have ever seen. What is the
>low down on this Lumen Foods? Are they a subsidiary of ADM? Odds are
>pretty good there is something behind it.
>
>Where are the benefits to the consumers in these convenience driven
>genetically manipulated products? All I see are a bunch of farmers buying
>Monsanto product cause its easier to spray it with Round up than use any
>other means including other chemicals to control their weeds. How about the
>food security issue? Is it safe to allow a handful of multi-national
>corporations own the genetics that feed the world? How about the ethical
>dilemna of messing with things that should be left to God? Genetic
>manipulation is not the same as traditional plant breeding. How about
>explaining that testing procedure? How about explaining when or even why
>the corps would ever produce a genetically manipulated product that will
>actually benefit the hungry of the world? There could be potential for
>genetic engineering by the right people but I don't ever see the
>corporations of the world ever using it for anything besides selling more
>product. So far they haven't faltered in that and have no plans to change.
>
>Best wishes,
>Greg Gunthorp
>Free range Pig, chicken, rabbit, and beef producer
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Ericka & Rich Dana <doodles@netins.net>
>To: sanet <sanet-mg@ces.ncsu.edu>
>Date: Tuesday, February 22, 2000 8:56 PM
>Subject: Lumen Foods goes pro-GMO (& contact info.)
>
>
>>----------
>>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
>>----------
>>
>>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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>
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Laura Paine
Crops and Soils Agent
Columbia County Agriculture Center
120 West Conant Street
PO Box 567
Portage, WI 53901-0567
608/742-9680
FAX: 608/742-9862
laura.paine@ces.uwex.edu
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