Originally published April 30 2013
Action Alert: Demand that Similac take GMOs out of its infant formulas
by Jonathan Benson, staff writer
(NaturalNews) Recognizing the fact that Americans are becoming increasingly uneasy about the unlabeled presence of genetically-modified organisms (GMOs) throughout the food supply, the shareholders of a major U.S.-based pharmaceutical and nutritional products company are now considering their prompt removal. As promoted by the corporate accountability group As You Sow, a new resolution soon to be voted on by the shareholders of Abbott Laboratories, maker of Similac baby formula, would eliminate GMOs from all the company's products if passed - and you have the opportunity to help make this effort a reality.
For years, Abbott has been selling Similac baby formula products laced with GM corn, soy, and other derivatives that independent studies have repeatedly shown to be risky health-wise. The 2012 publishing of the Gilles-Eric Seralini study, for instance, revealed that both GM corn and the chemicals commonly applied to this commodity crop are dangerous, having caused cancerous tumors to develop in more than 70 percent of laboratory rats fed a steady diet of it. Other studies have exposed similar outcomes for GM soy and other transgenic crops.
And yet ingredients made from these "Frankencrops" continue to be used in American food products, including in baby formulas like the kind produced by Abbott under its Similac brand. This is simply unacceptable, as it puts the long-term health of millions of babies at risk, which is why As You Sow decided to approach the company's shareholders and urge them to take action. Because there have been few long-term studies on the safety of GMOs, and none that have proven their safety, As You Sow is urging Abbott's shareholders to have them removed immediately, or at least have them properly labeled.
"Removing GMOs from nutritional products like infant formula can only benefit Abbott," says Andrew Behar, CEO of As You Sow. "As new and credible scientific concerns are raised, consumers are demanding to be given a choice in what foods they eat and feed their families. Abbott has an opportunity to lead the industry in being proactive on this important issue."
You can read an official press release from As You Sow here:
http://www.asyousow.org
Take action NOW to demand that GMOs be removed from Similac
Because the company is an industry leader in the baby formula market, Abbott's potential decision to remove GMOs from its products could set a new precedent for the entire industry to follow. The issue is so crucial, in fact, that the organic and sustainable farming advocacy group Cornucopia Institute has created its own petition that everyday people can sign to demand that Abbott remove GMOs from Similac, which you can access and sign here:
http://www.cornucopia.org/2013/04/gmo-formula-petition/
"Many of the ingredients used in infant formula, especially soy-based formula, are derived from crops that have been genetically altered to internally produce pesticides or to be resistant to specific herbicides, so that weed killers that would normally kill or injure the plant can be sprayed more frequently and at higher doses," explains the CI petition.
"[U]ntil infant formula makers stop using GMO ingredients, hundreds of thousands of newborns and infants will be unwitting participants in this huge, uncontrolled experiment with the health of the next generation," it adds.
Be sure to sign the CI petition to remove GMOs from Similac:
http://www.cornucopia.org/2013/04/gmo-formula-petition/
Sources for this article include:
http://www.asyousow.org
http://www.cornucopia.org/2013/04/gmo-formula-petition/
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0278691512005637
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