- Click here
for a printable letter to send yourself.
- Please send us a copy of the
letter you send by e-mail to Sarah Newport snewport@foe.org.
Thank you.
August 6, 1999
CEO Name
Company
Address
VIA FACSIMILE AND US POSTAL SERVICE
Re: Survey on genetically engineered foods
and B.t. corn
Dear (CEO Name):
You may be alarmed to know that your company's
products may contain corn that is deadly to one of America's
favorite animals - the Monarch butterfly.
Earlier this year, a startling study conducted
by scientists at Cornell University and published in the journal
Nature found that corn genetically engineered to contain the
Bacillus Thuringiensis (B.t.) toxin may be killing the Monarch
butterfly. The deadly impact of B.t. corn has been confirmed
by an ongoing field study conducted by researchers at Iowa State
University. The findings are alarming, considering that one third
of this year's corn crop is genetically engineered. In addition
to threatening the Monarch butterfly, B.t. crops have been shown
to be deadly to other beneficial insects including the ladybug
and the lacewing.
The Monarch butterfly is a creature beloved
by children everywhere. It is studied in the classroom, featured
in children's stories and found in the backyards of families
across the country. The Monarch is such a fixture in the American
experience that when the threat to the butterfly was first reported,
over 95 newspapers covered the story nationwide.
The findings of the Cornell study require
prompt action on behalf of companies that use corn or corn derivatives
in their products. In light of the danger that genetically engineered
corn poses to the Monarch and to other beneficial insects, Friends
of the Earth urges food companies including name of company,
to refrain from using B.t. corn or its derivatives, such as corn
syrup and corn flour, in any of their products.
Commercial grain wholesalers like Archer
Daniels Midland and Cargill have declared their commitment to
segregate genetically engineered (GE) grain from non-engineered
grain for the purposes of export. Their willingness to separate
GE grain should make the task of avoiding the use of B.t. ingredients
in products easier for companies.
For the purposes of some research we are conducting, we would
be grateful for your response to the following short survey.
Please return the fax-back form by August
24, 1999. As the American public increasingly is becoming concerned
about the impacts of genetically engineered food, on August 27,
1999 we will post to our website the names of those companies
that are using or may be using genetically engineered foods,
those that have made a commitment not to use them, and those
that have not responded. We will also be using the results of
this survey to educate consumers, financial analysts, and other
public interest groups.
We urge you to be a company that chooses
to go GE-free for the sake of your customers and for the environment.
Sincerely,
Brent Blackwelder
President
cc: Vice President, Public Relations
Survey
Genetically Engineered Food Survey
Name of company: ______________________________________________
Contact, title: __________________________________________________
1 a. Does your company use genetically
engineered B.t. corn or corn derivatives in any of its
products, including those products manufactured by subsidiaries
of the company?
b. Would your company be willing to permanently
refrain from using B.t. corn or corn derivatives in all its products?
What steps, if any, has your company taken towards removing B.t.
corn from its products?
2 a. Does your company use genetically
engineered ingredients in any of its products,
including those products manufactured by subsidiaries of the
company?
b. Would your company be willing to permanently
refrain from using genetically engineered ingredients in all
its products? What steps, if any, has your company taken towards
removing genetically engineered ingredients from its products?
Please fax to (202) 783-0444 by August
24, 1999
Friends of the Earth (FoE) is a national
environmental organization dedicated to preserving the health
and diversity of the planet for future generations. As the largest
international environmental network in the world with affiliates
in 63 countries, FoE empowers citizens to have an influential
voice in decisions affecting their environment.
- Back
to Safer Food, Safer Farms Index | Action Alert | See the list of Companies
- The
Companies' Response | Read the Press Release | The list of Potential GE Food Ingredients
|