At 10:40 PM 4/12/97 -0500, you wrote:([log in to unmask] (Richard Wolfson)

Are any of you following the news about the Codex group and food safety in
Canada--I'm sorry, who alerted this list to these shennanigans? I am sending
you this latest info on it, in case you neglected to join the mailing
list--it is of grave corcern to all, and especially rawests.

It behooves us to take give voice to our displeasure, and to alert less
educated friends on the danger, and enlist their aid, also. One letter is
considered 100 votes--one phone call, 1000 votes. We can stand and be counted!

Pat

Press release:
(snip)
>Codex has been designated by the World Trade Organization as the
>officially recognized rule -- making body for international trade issues
>related to food. Under GATT, Codex decisions have the clout of
>international law.
>
>"The decisions of Codex have great impact on the import and export of
>food and thus on the health of Canadians and consumers worldwide," he
>said.  "Yet, the representatives that Canada and other nations send to
>Codex to make these decisions are unanswerable to consumers.  At the
>Codex meetings themselves, these government representatives are highly
>vulnerable to influence peddling by biotech or other industry
>representatives.  These manipulations result in decisions  that benefit
>profit and production, not health and nutrition."

>"In reality the research is of little importance and the money is paid to
>facilitate acceptance by the Canadian government of genetically
>engineered crops and unsafe chemical pesticides," states Dr. Cummins.
>"The Ministry of Agriculture is required to regulate gene tinkered crops
>and chemical pesticides yet it is taking substantive money to promote
>these same products.  It is no wonder that the Canadian government is
>allowing these genetically engineered crops on the market."
>
>Dr. Cummins also explained that Agriculture Canada has initiated a
>program termed "Agri-Food R&D Matching Investment Initiative," which is
>called "A Collaborative Project."  This scheme allows Agriculture Canada
>to accept matching funds from industry for government research designed
>to facilitate use of new pesticides and genetically engineered crops
>developed by multinational companies.  "As Agriculture Canada is
>responsible for regulating pesticides and  genetically engineered crops,
>this is an another obvious conflict of interest," said Dr. Cummins.
>
>In the area of genetic engineering, Dr. Fagan explained that at its
>meeting in Ottawa, Codex is formulating regulations that will allow
>thousands of genetically engineered foods on the world market, unlabelled
>and mixed in with other foods.  However, scientists and doctors worldwide
>are concerned about the unknown and untested long-term side-effects of
>these foods.
>"New toxins, allergies, and diseases are already being seen from
>genetically engineered products, and more such side-effects are
>predicted," said Dr. Fagan  "Moreover, polls carried out by the biotech
>industry itself indicates that 93% of North Americans want genetically
>engineered foods to be labelled."
>
>Yet, once Codex approves these regulations, these experimental products
>will enter the food market unlabelled.  In fact, the WTO will apply trade
>sanctions that severely penalize any nation that decides to require
>higher standards for importation. "Impending Codex decisions concerning
>genetically engineered foods could put the health of the entire world
>population at stake," cautions Dr. Fagan.
>
>John Fagan, PhD, a Cornell-trained molecular biologist, has 23 years
>experience  in leading edge genetic engineering research, including 7
>years at the National Institutes of Health in Washington, DC.  He is
>currently on an international tour sponsored by the Natural Law Party,
>speaking about the dangers of genetically engineered foods.  Dr. Fagan
>was featured last month on CNN and in USA Today.  He is  in Ottawa to
>attend the Codex meetings.
>
>Joe Cummins, PhD, is Professor Emeritus of Genetic University of Western
>Ontario.  He has taught advanced genetics, human genetics , microbial
>genetics and molecular  genetics for over 23 years.  Dr. Cummins had
>published over one hundred refereed scientific papers and over 100
>popular articles in genetics. He has also participated in reviews of
>Canadian regulations in biotechnology and has previously been a delegate
>to the Codex Committee on Food Labeling.
>Contact: Wayne Foster Tel. (613) 235-2181  or  Ruby Finkelstein  Tel.
>(613) 565-1596 or  565-8517

>Visit our web site: http://www.natural-law.ca