Resolution in Support of Federal Legislation to Rigorously Test Before Allowing Use of  Genetically Engineered Food and Products

City of Berkeley, CA 1dec99

RECOMMENDATION

That the Berkeley School Board support Federal Legislation to rigorously test before allowing use of genetically engineered food and products and communicate this position to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration at the public hearing on this subject, in Oakland, California on December 13, 1999, to our State and Federal Representatives, and to school boards in the State.

BACKGROUND

The Berkeley Board of Education approved, in August 1999, a District Food Policy, which makes a strong statement against the use of genetically engineered food and products in our schools and recognizes the school's role in educating our students and community about the benefits of a healthy and safe diet.

The United States Food and Drug Administration has requested public comment concerning genetic engineering in food and agriculture and the Berkeley Board of Education can take this opportunity, now and on December 13, 1999, to express our already approved policy in this area.

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Resolution in Support of Federal Legislation
To Rigorously Test before Allowing Use Of
Genetically Engineered Food and Products

WHEREAS, on August 18, 1999, the Berkeley Board of Education approved the Berkeley Unified School District Food Policy; and

WHEREAS, the Board of Education "recognizes the school's role, as part of the larger community, to promote family health, sustainable agriculture and environmental restoration"; and

WHEREAS, the Board of Education aims to "eliminate potential harmful food additives and processes, such as bovine growth hormones, irradiation, and genetically modified foods"; 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 school 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 the members of the Board of Education 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. The legislation will create and implement a transparent system to assess the socioeconomic, environmental, and human health impacts of genetic engineering in agriculture that conforms to rigorous scientific standards, require a demonstration of a reasonable certainty of benefits greatly exceeding costs, shift the burden of proof and cost to the manufacturer, and permanently codify the precautionary principle; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that for products that meet the burden of proof of safety, the Berkeley Board Of Education supports the establishment of federal legislation requiring mandatory, clear, accurate, and complete labeling of all food and products, whether foreign or domestic, derived from, processed with, produced by, containing or consisting of genetically engineered organisms; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Board of Education encourages discussion among the school and greater community in order to facilitate public input on further action, beyond the proposed legislation, regarding genetic engineering in food and agriculture; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be transmitted to our State and Federal representatives and the school boards 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 on December 13, 1999, in response to the request for public comment concerning genetic engineering in food and agriculture.

PASSED AND ADOPTED this 1st day of December, 1999.

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