Resolution in Support of Federal Legislation 

to Ban Genetically Engineered Food and Products

Berkeley City Council  7dec99

WHEREAS, the City of Berkeley aims to promote and encourage public safety and health; and

WHEREAS, according to research reports from York Nutritional Laboratory and The New England Journal of Medicine (Vol.334, No.11, March 14, 1996), there are increased allergic reactions to genetically engineered foods, particularly for children and the elderly; and 

WHEREAS, in 1999, over 60 million acres of genetically engineered crops have been cultivated in the U.S. despite significant risk of genetically engineered crops contaminating organic seed from pollen drift/cross pollination; and

WHEREAS, in some cases, chemicals are needed to "trigger" genetically engineered characteristics in plants, creating more farmer-dependence on chemical inputs; and

WHEREAS, there is significant risk in the transfer of genes from genetically engineered herbicide-resistant crops to wild relatives, producing herbicide-resistant "Superweeds"; and

WHEREAS, there is significant risk that genetic engineering in agriculture will greatly harm sustainable agriculture by destroying beneficial insects and soil organisms; and

WHEREAS, there is significant risk that genetic engineering in agriculture will result in irreversible imbalances to ecosystems from genetically modified organisms migrating up the food chain; and

WHEREAS, there is insufficient knowledge, at this time, of the long-term effects genetic engineering in agriculture will have on human health and the environment; and

WHEREAS, the federal government does not currently require all genetically engineered foods and products to be labeled; and

WHEREAS, the Berkeley community has a right to know whether the food they purchase and consume contains or is produced with genetically engineered material for reasons including religious and ethical considerations, as well as, economic, environmental, and health impacts of genetically engineered food;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that on this 7th day of December, 1999, the members of the Berkeley City Council support the establishment of federal legislation to ban growing, disseminating, and marketing products that contain genetically engineered organisms until they have been proven safe for human consumption and the environment; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be transmitted to our State and Federal representatives and the City Councils in the State of California requesting their support on the enactment of the proposed federal legislation; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be presented to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, by January 13, 2000, in response to the request for public comment concerning genetic engineering in food and agriculture.