Specifically, FDA doesn't provide consumers with relevant information on the foods they eat, alleges the suit, filed in federal district court by The Alliance for Bio-Integrity and the International Center for Technology Assessment. The two nonprofit organizations describe themselves as dedicated to protecting human health and the environment. The suit calls for mandatory safety testing and labeling of bio-tech foods. FDA policy also is a violation of religious freedom, according to the suit, because some religious groups wish to avoid certain foods. At issue is the marketing of 33 different genetically engineered whole foods which, claims the suit, are being sold without labeling or required safety testing. These are mainly fruits and vegetables to which genes from different species have been added. These whole foods are then used as ingredients in a wide variety of mass consumed food products, whose labels contain no indication of the presence of bio-engineered foods.
FDA sued over bio-tech labeling
Two advocacy groups have sued the FDA, charging the agency's testing and labeling policies for genetically engineered foods violate its statutory mandate to protect public health.
Sep 30th, 1998
