Download Submission to the Review of Food Labelling Law and Policy

Submission to the Review of Food Labeling Law and Policy
In the interests of the health and wellbeing of our community and so that consumers can
make informed choices when buying food I write to submit items I believe require
mandatory labeling.
i)Genetically modified (GM) food
I believe all GM foods including those exempted from the Australian Food Labeling
Guidelines standard 1.5.2. should be labeled as such. This needs to include meat, milk,
cheese, eggs from animals fed GM food.
The use of genetically modified food is the subject of enormous global controversy.
Transnational organizations such as Monsanto and Novartis claim that their products will
make agriculture sustainable, eliminate world hunger, vastly improve public health and
cure disease. It has become obvious that through their political lobbying and business
practices they intend to dominate the market with their GM products.
GM products clearly have the potential to be toxic and a threat to human health.
Although no clinical trials on humans exist, from the few safety tests that have been
conducted on animals the results on GM food are disturbing-laboratory animals fed GM
diets show damage to virtually every system studied. Reports from farmers show sick
sterile and dead animals are traced to GM feed.
In 2009 the American Academy of Environmental Medicine called for mandatory
labeling of GM food. The group’s white paper cited numerous animal studies linking GM
foods to altered structure and function of the liver, kidney, pancreas and spleen; decrease
in fertility; an increase in allergy asthma and inflammation and a difference in the way
some 400 genes work that control protein synthesis and modification, cell signaling.
cholesterol synthesis and insulin regulation
With the overwhelming evidence of problems since their introduction in 1996 it is likely
that GM foods are contributing to the deterioration of health in the US. Without human
clinical trials or post marketing surveillance we can’t tell which worsening health statistic
can be due to these foods. But we can’t wait until we find out. GM foods must be
removed from our diet.
Mandatory labeling of GM foods as such means that people can make healthy non-GM
choices for themselves and their families.
ii)Fructose
There is abundant correlative evidence that a growing dependence on fructose is fuelling
the current obesity epidemic. Average daily consumption from all sources has increased
dramatically over the past 30 years, a major culprit being high fructose corn syrup HFCS.
HFCS is used in many products, it is a convenient cheap ingredient because the corn from
which it is made is subsidized.
The rates of obesity have skyrocketed just as our percentage of calories has gone down
according to Dr Lustig professor of Clinical Pediatrics University of California
Fructose is a dose dependent chronic hepatotoxin that is metabolized like fat and leads to
all the manifestations of metabolic syndrome Dr Lustig said in an address to the
American Academy of Paediatrics.
Fructose is seven times more likely than glucose to form advanced glycosolation end
products which promote atherosclerosis.
Furthermore fructose malabsorption a digestive disorder with symptoms of irritable
bowel syndrome is found in 30-40% of the population with about half exhibiting
symptoms.
And much of the corn from which HFCS is made is likely to be genetically modified. As
well two of the enzymes used to make the syrup alpha-amylase and glucose –isomeerase
are GM to make them more stable at higher temperatures
Producers of processed food are not currently required by law to mark foods containing
fructose in excess of glucose in Australia.
My recommendation is that food containing fructose be labeled as such to enable people
to make choices to control fructose intolerance, to track total calories consumed and to
avoid covert consumption of hepatotoxins.
.References can be supplied on request