Center for Food Safety

Campaigns

• Tell Food Companies to Reject the GE apple!

  After decades of promises from the biotech industry that genetically engineered (GE) food would feed the world, cure the sick, reduce agricultural dependence on toxic chemicals, and save countless crops from imminent collapse, USDA has just approved a product they think will solve a problem humans have struggled with for centuries… an apple that doesn’t brown when you slice it… Seriously; we couldn’t make this stuff up. While these GE apples are a waste of time and money, we don’t want to downplay the real concerns about them. Pre-sliced apples are actually a frequently recalled food product. Once the whole fruit is sliced, it has an increased risk of exposure to pathogens. Since browning is a sign that apples are no longer fresh, “masking” this natural signal could lead people to consume contaminated apples, which is why some folks are calling it the “botox apple.” Further, since FDA does no independent, pre-market safety testing of GE food there are several unanswered questions about the safety of GE apples. “Silencing” the genes that make apples turn brown when exposed to oxygen could have unintended consequences that will only be tested by hungry consumers. Although these “botox apples” are primarily targeted to the fresh-sliced apple market they could also find their way into non-GE juice, baby foods or apple sauce at the processing level, all products predominantly eaten by children and babies who are at increased risk for any adverse health effects. Like other GE products in the U.S., no mandatory labeling would be required. While Okanagan (the manufacturer) says they’ll require growers to label their whole apples as “Arctic variety,” the government has announced no plans to require labeling of these apples as GE. If approved, Okanagan’s non-browning “Arctic” apple would be first commercialized in Granny Smith and Golden Delicious varieties, with Fuji and Gala on the horizon. Even the apple industry has opposed this genetically engineered product. The U.S. Apple Association, Northwest Horticultural Council (which represents Washington apple growers, who grow over 60% of the apples in the U.S.), British Columbia Fruit Growers Association and other grower groups have already voiced their disapproval of these GE apples due to the negative impact they could have on farmers growing organic and non-GE apples through contamination, and to the image of the apple industry as a whole. McDonald’s, Wendy's, and Gerber have already indicated that they don’t plan to use these GE apples. If the apple industry doesn’t want GE apples, and consumers don’t want GE apples, who do these apples really benefit? As usual, this product only benefits the biotech industry and big food processing companies. Tell food companies parents do not want to feed their kids GE apples! We’ll send your signatures along with a letter to the top fast food restaurants, supermarkets, and food companies to secure commitments from them that they will not sell or use this risky new product.

  8,533 of 9,000 Signatures

  Created by Center for Food Safety
• Tell The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to Protect the Threatened Monarch Butterfly

  Monarch butterflies are one of the most beautiful and iconic insects in the world, and they are in serious trouble. The monarch butterfly population in North America has been shrinking at an alarming rate. Why? A major culprit is the use of herbicides like Monsanto’s Roundup on genetically engineered (GE) crops, which is destroying a significant portion of their breeding habitat. That’s why Center for Food Safety and Center for Biological Diversity have just co-filed a groundbreaking legal action—joined by Xerces Society and renowned monarch scientist Prof. Lincoln Brower—to list the monarch butterfly as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). If listed, the U.S. government would be required to take urgent and significant action to protect monarchs from further declines. Sign the petition to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) in support of protecting monarchs under the ESA! We all know that Monsanto’s genetically engineered crops and the pesticides they promote can wreak havoc on our farms, food, and environment. But what many people may not know is that they are also playing a big role in the rapid disappearance of monarchs. Herbicides like Roundup don’t kill monarchs directly, but rather kill their primary food source and habitat. Milkweeds are critical to the monarch’s survival because they are the only plants monarch caterpillars will eat. But thanks to the rampant use of Roundup on Monsanto’s genetically engineered crops, milkweed plants in the heart of the monarch’s range have been demolished. Fewer milkweeds mean fewer Monarchs. So we are faced with a historic choice: Do we want Monsanto or monarchs? It is becoming increasingly clear that we cannot have both. To protect monarchs we must protect and reclaim their critical habitat, and reject Monsanto’s Roundup Ready GE crops, and the unsustainable, pesticide-intensive, industrial agriculture system promoted by them. Though there are some good voluntary programs to restore milkweeds and protect monarchs, there are no mandatory regulatory mechanisms that adequately protect the monarch butterfly. Listing monarchs under the ESA will ensure that these iconic butterflies get the protection they need. Join CFS in urging the FWS to protect monarch butterflies!

  38,336 of 40,000 Signatures

  Created by Center for Food Safety
• Tell Pop Secret to Stop Killing Bees!

  Thanks to your pressure, Pop Weaver has agreed to phase out its use of neonics! [1]. Sign the petition to urge Pop Secret to follow their lead and drop bee-killing pesticides! It’s no secret we love popcorn. In fact, Americans consume more than 16 billion quarts of popcorn each year. But we’re getting more than we bargained for in all those bowls of popcorn: bee-toxic pesticides. Bees are dying at alarming rates, and scientists have identified a group of insecticides called neonicotinoids (“neonics”) as a prime culprit in these drastic population losses. The largest single use of neonicotinoids is as a seed coating for field crops. In fact, researchers estimate that 95-99% of all field corn grown in the U.S. comes from seed coated with bee-toxic neonic chemicals. Unfortunately, the popcorn industry uses bee-killing chemicals on their seeds, too. That’s why we’re calling on Pop Secret, one of the biggest brands in the industry, to urge them to source their popcorn from seeds that are NOT coated in these harmful chemicals. Neonics are the most widely used insecticides in the world, and are a class of systemic chemicals, meaning they are dispersed throughout the treated plant, rendering the whole plant toxic. Just as alarming, neonics can last in the environment for years and they can harm species that the chemical was not designed to kill -- like bees, butterflies, birds, and entire food chains. As one of the largest popcorn brands in the U.S., Pop Secret can make a big difference for bees by joining Pop Weaver in phasing out their use of neonic-coated seeds. ---------------------------------- References: 1. http://www.popweaver.com/news/2015-10-21Neonics%20Statement.pdf#zoom=66.7

  35,789 of 40,000 Signatures

  Created by Center for Food Safety
• EPA: Stop Bee-Killing Pesticides

  Bees play a crucial role in our food system -- producing 1 of every 3 bites of food we eat -- but out of control pesticide use is wiping them out and putting our food system at risk. That’s why thousands of concerned citizens are coming together to send the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency an urgent message to put an immediate stop to the use of bee-killing pesticides. The EPA is responsible for regulating the pesticides that are killing our bees—neonicotinoids—and they have so far fast-tracked the approval of these bee-killing chemicals instead of taking a hard look at their effects and protecting pollinators from their harms. Worse, they’ve ignored calls to take action on these pesticides from beekeepers, environmentalists, scientists, and even Members of Congress. That’s where we come in. Last Spring, Center for Food Safety and a coalition of beekeepers, environmental and consumer groups filed a lawsuit against the EPA for its failure to protect pollinators from these dangerous pesticides. But the EPA has still not responded to our legal action, so your pressure on the agency to take immediate action to protect our pollinators is critical! Honey bees and other pollinators are essential to a healthy food supply and environment. Right now, bee losses are unsustainable. It is urgent that our regulatory agencies take more aggressive action to prevent further declines of pollinators, and acknowledge the role that pesticides play. If we don’t come together to save our bees, who will?

  11,689 of 15,000 Signatures

  Created by Center for Food Safety
• EPA: Act on bee-killing pesticides NOW!

  Beekeepers lost an average of 44 percent of their colonies last year—even more than the year prior. Other research out this year indicates that native bees are declining, too. Why are the bees still dying? Largely thanks to bee-killing neonicotinoid pesticides! Bees are responsible for every one in three bites of food we eat, so we can’t afford to keep losing them. The EPA has the power to help bring back bee populations by restricting the use of bee-toxic pesticides. This June, beekeepers, farmers, and people like you are coming together for the “Keep the Hives Alive Tour.” We’re driving around the country with a truck full of dead bees in order to raise awareness about the plight of pollinators and how toxic pesticides contribute to their decline. The tour will end in Washington, DC on June 22nd with a large demonstration in front of EPA to urge the agency to take action on toxic pesticides and support sustainable agriculture. We must ramp up pressure on the EPA to act NOW. We’re aiming to reach 2 million petition signatures by June 22nd, but we need your help to reach our goal! What’s stopping the EPA from taking action? The pesticide industry. The pesticide industry is doing everything it can to protect its profits. We know the EPA is hearing from Bayer, Syngenta, and other major agro-chemical companies that spend millions of dollars on PR campaigns to shift the blame away from pesticides—despite a wealth of research linking pesticides to bee declines. We need YOUR help to tell EPA to stop dragging its feet and take strong action on bee-killing pesticides. We need to turn up the heat to make sure the harmful effects from these pesticides are eliminated once and for all. The EPA needs to hear from you—not just Bayer and other companies massively profiting from these toxic pesticides. This June we have the ability to do just that – help us make your voices heard! Tell the EPA it needs to do its job and protect bees, the planet, and all of us from pollinator-killing pesticides NOW!

  11,009 of 15,000 Signatures

  Created by Center for Food Safety