Contact: Steve Cooperman 641-209-1765
info@GMFreeSchools.org

PRESS RELEASE

DOCUMENTARY PRESENTS HEALTH RISKS
FOR CHILDREN EATING GENETICALLY ENGINEERED FOOD

May 16, 2005 (Iowa): A new video, entitled Hidden Dangers in Kids’ Meals: Genetically Engineered Foods, raises the alarm that food containing genetically modified (GM) ingredients may result in long-term unpredictable health problems among children and urges parents and schools to remove GM foods from kids’ diets. Produced by Jeffrey Smith, author of the international bestseller Seeds of Deception, the documentary highlights shocking research results, inadequate regulations, and corporate control of government.

“Evidence now suggests that genetically engineered foods are not safe and should never have been approved. Their impact on children’s health could be significant,” says Smith, who directs the Institute for Responsible Technology.

The documentary presents farmers who report that pigs fed GM corn became sterile, had false pregnancies, or delivered “bags of water;” describes government policies designed to give the illusion that adequate tests are conducted; and interviews scientists who were threatened, fired or “hounded out” when they expressed concerns. The few safety studies that have been conducted raised serious issues: lab animals developed stomach lesions, potentially pre-cancerous cell growth, problems in the development of blood and liver cells and with the reproductive and immune systems, smaller or damaged organs and unexplained deaths. In addition, soy allergies in the UK skyrocketed after GM soy was introduced there, and thousands fell sick and more than 100 Americans died from a GM food supplement that was sold in the 1980s.

“The only human feeding study ever conducted,” says Smith, “shows that genes transferred from GM soybeans into the DNA of gut bacteria.” According to Smith, FDA scientists warned in a memo that gene transfer could create “A SERIOUS HEALTH HAZARD,” but were dismissed by biotech proponents who said it would never happen. Documents made public from a lawsuit also reveal that FDA scientists believed GM foods might create unpredicted allergies, toxins, antibiotic resistant diseases and nutritional problems. The political appointee in charge of FDA policy—formerly Monsanto’s attorney and later their vice president—ignored the government scientists, overruled their recommendations to require long-term safety studies, and established the current policy in which GM food manufacturers are responsible to determine if their own products are safe.

The 28-minute documentary makes a strong appeal to parents and schools to remove GM foods from kids’ meals, particularly because children are most at-risk from the potential dangers. As added incentive for schools to make changes in their food service, the video includes interviews with teachers and administrators of Appleton, Wisconsin schools, where a change from processed foods to fresh nutritious foods resulted in a dramatic shift in the behavior and learning ability of the students. The schools were not focused on removing GM ingredients, but happened to eliminate nearly all of them when they substituted healthier food.

The Appleton phenomenon is the subject of its own 15-minute documentary that appears on Smith’s DVD and VHS. There is also an hour-long presentation called The Health Dangers of Genetically Engineered Foods and Their Cover-up, in which Smith describes how biotech companies have rigged research, covered up health dangers and pressured government regulators.

The Institute has also released an audio CD entitled You’re eating WHAT? Stop eating genetically engineered foods and please copy this for your friends, available for a free download at www.gmfreeschools.org. The site also offers a 5-minute preview of the video, a free monthly syndicated column, and support and advice for local communities seeking to develop GM-free school campaigns. The Institute for Responsible Technology receives support from numerous individuals and organizations, including the Sierra Club. For more information, contact Steve Cooperman, 641.209.1765, info@GMFreeSchools.org.