Reuters | November 17, 1999 | By Julie Vorman
WASHINGTON - The environmental group Friends of the Earth was cited as saying Wednesday it will launch a series of demonstrations at American grocery stores to demand labels on foods containing genetically altered ingredients.
Friends of the Earth was further cited as saying it will begin holding nationwide demonstrations next week, modelled after similar protests in Great Britain by green groups who eventually convinced several retailers to halt sales of bioengineered foods.
Brent Blackwelder, president of Friends of the Earth, was quoted as saying "We've decided to begin a similar campaign because it's apparent to us that Congress doesn't understand what is happening. ... Are we scared?
Yes," Blackwelder told reporters. "There is genuine ... fear that should be communicated to the public and we intend to do it and do it full speed ahead."
A spokeswoman for the Food Marketing Institute, a trade group which represents 21,000 U.S. grocery stores and 200 more in Europe, Canada and other countries, was cited as agreeing that there is an "urgent" need to offer customers more information about genetically modified foods and how they are regulated, but that the planned demonstrations will be targeting the wrong part of the food chain, adding, "Grocery stores are very visible. It's not fair that's the place chosen (for protests) because they are long way from where food is produced."
The story also notes that some activists make no secret that what they are really after is a complete halt to all research and development of bioengineered food.
