Andrew Kimbrell, executive director at Center for Food Safety, today responded to a new public relations blitz from the agrichemical industry. The promotional campaign includes a one-sided, new website sponsored by Dow, Monsanto, Syngenta, Bayer, DuPont and the Council for Biotechnology Information.
Earlier this year, Center for Food Safety published a guide to food industry front groups, a report revealing how chemical and other corporations hide behind benign-sounding “organizations” and use these groups to tout misleading information about chemicals and new food technologies.
“Polls consistently show that consumers don’t want products tainted with poisons and they don’t want genetically modified foods. Instead of responding to legitimate consumer concerns about the safety of these products, the industry has created a charade of transparency on their new website, innocuously named ‘GMO Answers.’
“A staunchly biotech industry funded website, it masks any real transparency on the issue of genetic engineering while attempting to pacify information-hungry consumers.
“Whenever their products are scrutinized and called into question, the agrichemical industry consistently turns to bigger and better PR rather than addressing the real issues at hand. The American people won’t be fooled by a website or a PR campaign,” said Andrew Kimbrell.
A recent poll by the New York Times showed a staggering 93% of respondents favoring mandatory labeling of GMOs. 26 states across the nation are currently considering legislation that would require labeling of genetically engineered foods.
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About Center for Food Safety
Center for Food Safety is a national, non-profit, membership organization founded in 1997 to protect human health and the environment by curbing the use of harmful food production technologies and by promoting organic and other forms of sustainable agriculture. CFS maintains offices in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, California and Portland, Oregon. More information can be found at www.centerforfoodsafety.org.
