WASHINGTON, Nov. 14, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Emmy
Award winners Michael J. Fox and
Julie Bowen, and singer Ziggy Marley are featured in a new Just Label It
video (http://www.justlabelit.org/watch-new-just-label-it-video
) calling for the FDA to require labeling of genetically
engineered (GE) foods. Fox, Bowen and Marley are joined in
the video by 24 other entertainers and advocates and Just Label It
(JLI) Chairman, Gary Hirshberg.
His comments sum up the argument JLI has been making throughout
the country: every American deserves the right to know about their
food and whether they are eating or serving their families food
that has been genetically engineered. JLI is petitioning the
FDA to update its 20-year-old voluntary guidelines and require
labeling for GE foods. Today, more than 1.2 million Americans
have joined the petition, and a national poll has shown that nine
out of every 10 Americans support GE food labeling.
"These artists have joined this fight because we are pursuing a
basic right, and a right enjoyed by citizens of 60 other countries,
including China, Russia and every nation in the European
Union," Hirshberg said. "This video will help us remind the
FDA that Washington is supposed to
be of, by and for the people -- not just a handful of chemical
companies."
As the FDA considers whether to grant approval to GE salmon, 2,
4-D corn and a never-browning apple, the video raises concerns
about the transparency surrounding GE foods and the lack of
long-term testing on the health and environmental effects of the
food. After chemical companies claimed the insecticide used
in the first GE corn approved for human consumption would not be
digestible, a study later revealed the insecticide was detected in
the umbilical cords of pregnant women.
Bowen, a mother of three sons, shows her support for labeling by
revealing a sign in the video with the message: "Every modern
family has the right to know what's in their food!"
Marley appears in the video and his song Personal
Revolution provides the soundtrack for the three-minute
production.
JLI will be using the video in the coming weeks to encourage
supporters to sign its petition at www.justlabelit.org. The
site also asks supporters to encourage their members of Congress to
support labeling GE foods, oppose any federal or state efforts to
restrict the push to label GE foods, and to defeat language in the
Farm Bill that would limit the USDA or other federal agencies in
regulating GE crops.
The full list of entertainers appearing in the video
follows:
Tracy
Austin, Tennis Player
|
Ali
Carter, Actor
|
Kristin
Bauer van Straten, Actor
|
Gabriel
Mann, Actor
|
Julie
Bowen, Actor
|
Ziggy
Marley, Singer
|
Josh
Bowman, Actor
|
Carter
Oosterhouse, TV Host
|
Jordana
Brewster, Actor
|
Eric
Ripert, Chef
|
Mehcad
Brooks, Actor
|
Leah
Segedie, Blogger
|
Chevy
Chase, Actor
|
Amy
Smart, Actor
|
Caley
Chase, Actor
|
Ian
Somerhalder, Actor
|
Tom
Colicchio, Chef
|
James
Taylor, Singer
|
Frances
Fisher, Actor
|
Wilmer
Valderrama, Actor
|
Michael
J. Fox, Actor
|
Emily
Van Camp, Actor
|
Daryl
Hannah, Actor
|
Kimberly Van Der Beek, Healthy Living
Advocate
|
Anne
Heche, Actor
|
Nick
Wechsler, Actor
|
Jack
Johnson, Singer
|
|
Dr.
Harvey Karp, Pediatrician
|
|
About Just Label It
JUST LABEL IT is a
national coalition of more than 600 diverse organizations dedicated
to the mandatory labeling of genetically engineered (GE) foods,
also referred to as genetically modified, or GMOs. The Just
Label It message is simple: consumers have a right to know about
our food so we can make informed choices about what we eat and feed
our families.
SOURCE Just Label It