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Testimony

The following was Chris Durkin’s testimony before the Massachusetts House and Senate Joint Committee on Commerce and Labor

May 23, 2001

My name is Christopher Durkin, and I am the Member Services Coordinator for Harvest Co-op Markets in Boston and Cambridge, which are cooperatively owned community food markets with over 10,000 members. We have been in business in the Boston area for over 30 years.

We have been educating our members and shoppers about the potential hazards of Genetically Engineered foods for over four years through our monthly newsletter, bulletin board displays, and outreach programs. I say potential hazards because few studies have been done concerning the short and long term effects of releasing these new products into the environment.

We are now in the process of compiling a list of non-Genetically Engineered foods we sell so we can identify these products with shelf signs. Our membership has asked that we label these products so they can make informed decisions about whether they want to take part in this experiment with our personal health and health of the environment. I am working with volunteer members to identify and label all GE products in our stores. Because the lack of federal government mandated labeling, we are forced to use organic certification, the True Foods List form Greenpeace, and manufacturers claims in our research to ascertain whether a product is GE free.

We are asking for a moratorium on production of GE foods until adequate safety studies can be done. Short of that, we strongly support this bill to require labeling of products containing of GE foods so we may choose, as should be our right, whether we want to take part in this experiment.

If you recall, DDT, Nuclear Power, and CFC’s (chlorofluorocarbons) were perfectly safe, and going to make life better for all. It was only decades later that problems began to surface with their use. The difference with Genetically Engineered foods is that it is changing food at the genetic level, and is irreversible.

Please give due regard to the polls that show between 78 and 90 percent of your constituents want to have the right to choose, and support this bill before you today. Thank you for your time.