HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0480.012 2010-2012Murashige, Laura
From: Hector Valenzuela [hectoruh @yahoo.com]
Sent: Tuesday, December 06, 2011 12:44 PM
To: counciltestimony @ co.hawaii.hi.us
Cc: cohmayor @co.hawaii.hi.us; dyagong @co.hawaii.hi.us; dikeda @co.hawaii.hi.us;
jyoshimoto @co.hawaii.hi.us; donishi @co.hawaii.hi.us; fblas @co.hawaii.hi.us;
bsmart@co.hawaii.hi.us; bford @co.hawaii.hi.us; apilago @co.hawaii.hi.us;
phoffman @co. hawaii. hi. us
Subject: testimony County Council- HSAC package, Communication 480, GM food labeling
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December 6, 2011
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To: Hawaii Island County Council
Hearing Date: 12/7/11
Council Chambers at the County Building in Hilo, 25 Aupuni Street, Room 1401
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RE: HSAC package, Communication 480
<! - -[if !supportEmptyParas] - -> Hawaii Island County Council Meeting, Wednesday Dec. 7, 2011
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TESTIMONY IN STRONG SUPPORT OF LABELING GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOODS
(HSAC Communication 480)
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To the Council members of the Hawaii County Council,
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My name is Hector Valenzuela, and I have been a professor and Extension Specialist in Crop Production
at the University of Hawaii -Manoa for the past 20 years. However, I write this testimony on a personal
and private capacity —in support of a state GM food labeling bill (HSAC Communication 48).
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The goal of my educational programs at UH -Manoa involves promoting the adoption of best
management practices for the commercial production of vegetable crops, and as such I have been a
strong advocate of organic farming, and sustainable agricultural practices.
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Another central goal of my program is to assist our farmers meet the increasing consumer demand for
healthy food, locally grown produce, and organic (pesticide -free and gmo -free) produce. As you may
know, the locally -grown and organic farming industries are the two fastest growing sectors of the food
industry in the United States. The incredible growth of both the locally -grown and organic sectors is
driven by an as yet, unmet and growing consumer demand for healthy and nutritious food.
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I write this testimony in support of a state labeling bill for genetically modified crops based on the
following considerations:
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<! - -[if !supportLists] - - >1) <!-- [endif]-- >Surveys and public polls conducted at a national and at the
state level in Hawaii show that the public overwhelmingly supports the labeling of GM food.
According to a survey of Hawaii consumers co- authored by a UH Hilo professor, "The majority
of the respondents felt that labeling is very important" (Shehata and Cox, 2007).
<! - -[if !supportLists] - - >2) <!-- [endif]- - >After 25 years of following the crop biotechnology '/
Comm N. 7"80. /Z
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industry, via the scientific literature as described below, I still have serious concerns about potential
unintended health and environmental effects from the consumption and planting of genetically
modified crops.
<! - -[if !supportLists] - - >3) <!-- [endif] - - >A review of the most recent scientific literature (in the form
of reviews or refereed publications published in international scientific journals) highlights the
following disconcerting information about how little we know, and about potential and current
real health and environmental risks:
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<! - -[if !supportLists] - - >• <!-- [endif] - - >A recent review of the literature showed that the
number of HEALTH studies to determine the safety of GM food continues to be "very
limited" (Domingo and Bordonaba, 2011).
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<! - -[if !supportLists] - - >• <!_- [ endif]-- >Despite the lack of studies about the safety of GM
food, the industry continues to claim, without providing any data or evidence, that GM
food poses no health risks. As far as I know, not ONE refereed study has been conducted
IN Hawaii to evaluate the health or environmental impact of the GM crops grown in the
state. Certainly no `post- marketing' health safety studies have been conducted in the
United States, because GM crops are not labeled in the U.S.
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<! - -[if !supportLists] - - >• <!-- [endif] - - >A recent review identified serious flaws with the
current regulatory process to assess potential ENVIRONMENTAL risks (Hilbeck et al.,
2011). Earlier reviews had shown that "key scientific studies" to assess potential
environmental risks "are lacking" (Wolfenbarger and Phifer, 2000).
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<! - -[if !supportLists] - - >• <!-- [ endif]-- >Conflict of Interest in safety assessment
protocols. Safety studies funded by industry, and published in science journals are
riddled with a significant conflict of interest. Those studies that received industry funding
had a 100% probability of showing results favorable to industry (Diels & Cunah et al.
2011).
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<! - -[if !supportLists] - - >• <!-- [ endif]-- >Recent reviews of the literature, published in
science journals, show several health side effects from feeding experimental animals GM
food (Seralini et al. 2011; Dona and Arvanitoyannis, 2009).
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<! - -[if !supportLists] - - >• <!-- [endif] - - >A recent report documents considerable potential
health effects from exposure to the direct application and residues of Roundup herbicide.
Roundup herbicide is an integral component for the production of most of the GM crops
grown today (i.e. growing RR crops requires the use of Roundup herbicide) (Antoniou et
al, 2011).
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<! - -[if !supportLists] - - >• <!-- [ endif]-- >Three separate internal government audits
conducted by the General Accountability Office (GAO, 2008), USDA (2006), and FDA
(2007) concluded that current federal regulations are not doing an adequate job of
protecting the public's health, nor the environment. These internal government audits
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concluded that "Increased oversight [is] needed ", that regulations "do not go far enough to
ensure the safe introduction of agricultural biotechnology," and that "FDA can't keep up
with the science [of genomics, or biotechnology] to fulfill its mission"
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<! - -[if !supportLists] - - >• <!-- [endif]-- >Based on a review of the available scientific
literature, the well- respected American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) in
2009 called for the "labeling of GM foods, which is necessary for the health and safety of
consumers ". According to the AAEM "There is more than a casual association between
GM foods and adverse health effects. There is causation as defined by Hill's Criteria in
the areas of strength of association, consistency, specificity, biological gradient, and
biological plausibility," and the AAEM added that "The strength of association and
consistency between GM foods and disease is confirmed in several animal
studies." (AAEM, 2009).
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Please support this measure, HSAC package, Communication 480, to be submitted to the state
legislature.
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Thank you for your consideration.
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Respectfully submitted,
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Hector Valenzuela, Ph.D.
94 -1070 Anania Cr. No. 107
Mililani, HI 96789
hectoruh @yahoo.com
Tel. 808 - 625 -1277
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References Cited
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American Academy of Environmental Medicine. 2009. Genetically Modified Foods. Testimony to Maui
County Council, on September 29, 2009.
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Antoniou, et al. 2011. Roundup and birth defects Is the public being kept in the dark? Earth Open
Source. June 2011.52 pp.
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Diels & Cunah et al. Food Policy Journal. 36:197(2011)
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Domingo and Bordonaba. 2011. Environment International. 37:734 -742
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Dona, A., and Arvanitoyannis, IS. 2009. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition. Health Risks
of Genegentically Modified Foods. 49:164 -175 (2009)
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Hilbeck et al. Environ. Sciences Europe 23:13(2011)
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Seralini et al., Enviro Sci. Europe Journal. 23:10 (2011)
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Shehata, S. and Linda J. Cox. 2007. Attitudes of Hawai`i Consumers. Toward Genetically Modified
Fruit. Univ. Hawaii Coop. Ext. Serv. Ext. Bul. BIO -7, 8 pp.
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Wolfenbarger and Phifer. 2000. The Ecological Risks and Benefits of Genetically Engineered Plants.
Science. 290:2088 -2093
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