Dear
Mary Lodato,
You can take action
on this alert either by email or
preferably
on the web at:
Alert expires on March
1, 2002
Here's what this
alert is about:
Stop
FDA from approving misleading labels for irradiated
foods.
----------------------
Food irradiation is the
process of exposing foods to
ionizing radiation
- gamma rays, electron beams, or
X-rays
- to kill bacteria, parasites, insects, or fungi
that can cause spoilage or make people sick. Currently,
it is used on just a small part of the food supply,
such as many herbs and spices. But major expansion
of its use on other foods likely will occur in
the
future. Federal regulations since 1986
have required
use of the label "Treated
with Radiation" or "Treated
by Irradiation"
for irradiated foods, in addition to
using
a small "radura"symbol.
Rider
language written by a few Senators and House
members - and never the subject of a public hearing
or debate - was attached to the Conference Report
on
the 2001 Agriculture Appropriations bill.
It seeks
to force the Food and Drug Administration
to replace
the clear label on irradiated
foods with a new and
vague euphemism like
"Cold Pasteurized." The rider
language is
designed to serve the food and irradiation
industries
and to confuse, rather than inform, shoppers.
A nationally representative
survey found that consumers
don't want alternative
labels in place of the current
label that
requires use of the words "radiation" or
"irradiation."
Consumers strongly support plain English,
not
euphemisms. The survey of more than 1,000 adults
conducted in 1999, commissioned by CSPI and the
American
Association of Retired Persons,
found:
*89%
of the respondents supported labeling
to
indicate that a food has been irradiated
*60% wanted
the statement to appear on
the front of the food package
*By a four-to-one
margin, respondents
preferred the existing terminology "Treated
by Irradiation" over "Electronically
Pasteurized," and a six-to-one preference
was found for "Treated by Irradiation" over
"Cold Pasteurized."
Irradiation
may well improve food safety for consumers,
but
it should not substitute for good sanitation. Whether
you want to buy irradiated foods to protect a
child
or aging parent from E. coli O157:H7
bacteria or you
want to avoid irradiated
foods because of changes in
taste, smell,
texture, or nutritional value, confusing
labels
will reduce your ability to make that choice.
FDA previously published a Notice
of Proposed Rulemaking
on this topic, but
the agency hasn't completed a final
rule
yet. Your opinion is important now, so FDA knows
that consumers want to retain clear labeling of
irradiated
foods.
Please email the letter below to the FDA's Acting
Principal
Deputy Commissioner; a copy will
also automatically
go to the
FDA public-comment docket. This campaign
will
be critical in 2001, as FDA is expected to approve
irradiation of shellfish, ready-to-eat meat products,
and other foods. Clear labeling will be more important
than ever. THANKS FOR YOUR HELP!
You can also mail letters to
the Acting Commissioner
at his street address
(see below). Feel free to revise
the letter
to include your personal concerns.
Bernard A. Schwetz, D.V.M., Ph.D.
Acting
Principal Deputy Commissioner
U.S. Food
and Drug Administration
5600 Fisher Lane
Rockville, MD 20857
----------------------
INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPOND VIA THE WEB:
If
you have access to a web browser, you can take action
on this alert by going to the following URL:
INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPOND VIA
EMAIL:
Just choose the "reply to sender"
option on your email
program, and edit the
letter below as you wish. You
must
include the whole letter in your response including
"-YOU MAY EDIT THE LETTER BELOW-" and "-END OF
LETTER-".
Please do not add your name and
address to your letter.
Action Network automatically
does this for you.
We STRONGLY encourage you to make edits directly
to
our sample letter below, and put the
alert talking
points into your own words.
An individualized letter
is worth ten computer
generated letters. Of course,
hundreds of
unedited letters will still create a large
impact,
so please reply even if you don't have time
to
personalize the letter.
Your
letter will be addressed and sent to:
Acting
Principal Deputy FDA Commissioner Bernard A. Schwetz
Food and Drug Administration, Dockets Management
Branch
-------YOU
MAY EDIT THE LETTER BELOW---------
I want irradiated foods to be clearly and conspicuously
labeled. "Irradiation" is a commonly understood
term
that FDA should not discard for a deceptive
substitute.
I'm not the only one who feels
this way. An independent
opinion poll in
1999, commissioned by the American
Association
of Retired Persons and the Center for Science
in the Public Interest, showed overwhelming support
for the term "Treated by Irradiation," instead
of "Electronically
Pasteurized" or "Cold
Pasteurized." Just as consumers
want label
information about "dolphin-safe tuna" or
"low
fat" foods, they also want clear information on
irradiated food.
Please don't change the current sensible label.
Informed
choice is part of a free-market
economy. Some shoppers
want to buy irradiated
foods because they want foods
with lower
pathogen risks. Other shoppers may avoid
irradiated
foods because of changes in taste, smell,
texture,
or nutrition, or for other reasons. FDA should
not stand in the way of consumers making those
choices
by putting confusing new labels
on irradiated food.
Thank
you for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
Mary Lodato
2421 Yellowstone Rd
Cinnaminson, New Jersey 08077