Why Kraft?

Kraft Foods is the largest food and beverage company in the United States and the secondlargest in the world, made up of many brands including Nabisco and Post. On its website,Kraft boasts that its products can be found in 99% of American households and its brandsare sold in more than 140 countries worldwide.3 However, many of Kraft brands and productsare likely to contain genetically engineered ingredients, such as Taco Bell taco shells, OreoCookies, Post Raisin Bran, Lunchables, Macaroni & Cheese Dinners, and Wheat Thins. Theseproducts are not required to undergo safety tests nor are they labeled as containing genetical-ly engineered ingredients.

Kraft Foods is a subsidiary of Philip Morris, the tobacco company that is known fordenying for decades that cigarettes are addictive and harmful to the health of smokers, evenas smoking killed hundreds of thousands of Americans each year. In efforts to separate thenegative tobacco image of Philip Morris from their food products, in June 2001, PhillipMorris sold a portion of its stake in Kraft to the public, to spin off Kraft Foods, Inc. While thisgives Kraft an image of independence, Philip Morris retains 84% of Kraft’s shares and deci-sion-making power. In another effort to distance themselves, Philip Morris recently announcedthat they will be changing their name to Altria.

Additionally, Kraft Foods has already responded to consumer demand in Europe,where the company has made steps to restrict genetically engineered plants and derivativesfrom some of its products sold under the K Jacobs Suchard brand name.

What is Genetic Engineering?

Genetic engineering is the process by which scientists combine the genes of dissimilar and unrelated species or manipulate the genes of existingspecies to change their characteristics, permanently altering their geneticcodes, and creating novel organisms. Biotechnology corporations use this technology to combine organisms that would never be able to combine naturally,such as tomatoes and fish genes. Despite potentially serious and unknownhealth and ecological impacts due to the imprecision and unpredictability ofgene splicing, 26% of corn and 68% of soybeans produced in the U.S. in2001 were genetically engineered.1

Untested, Unregulated, Unlabeled and Rushed to Market

The genetic engineering of food is a recent phenomenon. The first significantcommercial planting took place in 1996, yet by 2000, 60-70% of processedfoods in the U.S., such as cereal, soup, flour, and infant formula, containedgenetically engineered ingredients. The two most common genetically engi-neered crops are corn and soy, which were rushed to market before adequatelabeling, testing or safeguards were put in place to protect consumers and theenvironment. Monsanto now plans to introduce genetically engineered wheatas soon as next year. Wheat is the principal U.S. cereal grain for both exportand domestic consumption, so genetically engineered wheat could have signif-icant health, environmental, and economic impacts. Introduction of genetical-ly engineered wheat into the food supply, without adequate testing or safe-guards in place, would once again put U.S. consumers at risk.

Government regulatory agencies have set lax standards for geneticallyengineered foods and therefore food companies such as Kraft currently useingredients that have not undergone sufficient health and environmental test-ing. Until mandatory testing and labeling are in place, Genetically EngineeredFood Alert is calling on Kraft Foods, a leader in the food industry, to removegenetically engineered ingredients from their products. Given the allergenicityrisks linked to genetically engineered corn, we are asking them to start byremoving genetically engineered corn, and we are asking that they pledge notto use genetically engineered wheat.

“U.S. government agencies have doneexactly what big agribusiness has asked them to do and told them to do.” 2

Dr. Henry Miller > who was responsible for biotechnology issues at the Food and Drug Administration from 1979 to 1994.

“In all likelihood some of our productsdo contain biotech ingredients from [genetically modified] crops.” 4

Kraft Foods, consumer letter, October 1999.

Environmental and Health Concerns

New Plant Toxins > A 1999 study found evi-dence that genetically engineered potatoesdamaged the vital organs and immune sys-tems of laboratory rats.5

New Allergies > In Fall 2000, StarLink™corn, a form of genetically engineered corn,was found in the US food supply. StarLink™is not approved for human consumptionbecause of its potential for triggering allergicreactions, such as vomiting, diarrhea, andanaphylactic shock.6 There are two approvedvarieties that have similar traits to StarLink.Decreasing Antibiotic Effectiveness > In theprocess of genetic engineering, scientistsinsert genes for antibiotic resistance into thealtered plant. This could lead to increasedantibiotic resistance in disease-causing bac-teria, already a serious public health concerndue to overuse of antibiotics. Reliance on Pesticides > Nearly 100% ofgenetically engineered crops now on the mar-ket are designed to be used with weedkillers,

Kraft Background and the StarLink™ Scandal

In Fall 2000, Genetically Engineered Food Alert discovered the presence of StarLink™ corn,illegal due to risk of allergenicity, in Kraft’s Taco Bell taco shells. This discovery led to hundreds of product recalls and an increased public awareness of the existence and risks ofgenetically engineered foods. Following the exposé, Kraft Foods switched to using white cornin their corn taco products to avoid further StarLink™ contamination. The company also recommended specific measures from regulatory agencies, including requiring mandatoryreview of all plant biotechnology advances before they enter the market. However, stricter regulations have not been adopted by government agencies and Kraft continues to use geneticallyengineered ingredients. The lesson of StarLink™ corn shows that we need food companies to do more to ensure that their foods are safe for our health and for the environment.

Therefore: Genetically Engineered Food Alert is urging Kraft Foods to work to prevent other threats toconsumers by taking the following steps, with the goal of phasing out the use of all geneticallyengineered ingredients until adequate testing, labeling, and liability standards are in place:

1. Stop using genetically engineered corn and corn derivatives in all products, as genetically engineered corn raises serious health concerns,

2. Label products containing other genetically engineered ingredients, so consumers can makesound choices in the marketplace, and

3. Pledge not to use genetically engineered wheat.

1 Thayer, A. "Owning AgBiotech." Chemical & Engineering News. September 17, 2001. vol.79, no. 38, pp. 25-32.

2 Eichenwald et. al. "Biotechnology Food: From the Lab to a Debacle." New York Times.January 25, 2001.

3 http://www.kraft.com

to produce their own pesticides, or both. Infact, in many cases, genetically engineeredcrops are associated with increased pesticideuse. They do nothing to break the cycle ofpest resistance and greater reliance on pesti-cides. Furthermore, contamination and otherrisks of genetically engineered crops under-mine sustainable agriculture, the only viablepath to a pesticide-free food system.7,8 StillMonsanto is currently developing RoundupReady wheat, wheat that is engineered totolerate Monsanto’s own Roundup herbicide.Unintended Harm to Plants or Animals > Cropsengineered to kill certain pests are oftentoxic to non-target insects. A 1999 study atCornell University9 and follow-up research atIowa State10 found that the pollen of a vari-ety of Bt corn approved by EPA for commer-cial use is toxic to Monarch butterflies. Genetic Pollution > In September 2001, scientists found that genetically engineeredcorn had contaminated native varieties ofcorn in remote regions of Mexico, raisingserious concerns about the destruction ofdiversity in the birthplace of corn.11

4 Greenpeace,http://www.truefoodnow.org/gmo_facts/product_list/responses.html

5 Ewen and Pustzai. "Effect of diets containinggenetically modified potatoes expressingGalanthus nivalis lectin on rat small intestine."The Lancet. October 16, 1999.

6 Kaufman, M. "Biotech Critics Cite UnapprovedCorn in Taco Shells." Washington Post.September 18, 2000.

Genetically Engineered Food Alert is a coalitionof scientists, environmentalists, consumergroups, farmers, and doctors united in theircommitment to testing and labeling of genet-ically engineered foods. The coalition haslaunched a nation-wide campaign with thefollowing platform:

Genetically engineered food ingredients or cropsshould not be allowed on the market unless:> Independent safety testing demonstratesthey have no harmful effects on humanhealth or the environment;

“All of us—government, industry, and the scientificcommunity—need to work on ways to prevent thiskind of situation from ever happening again.” Kraft Foods’ response to the StarLinkTM contamination.

7 ISAAA Briefs No. 21; and Carpenter andGianessi. "Herbicide Use on Roundup ReadyCrops." Science. February 4, 2000.

8 Genetically Engineered Food Alert Coalition,Factsheet "More False Promises: GeneticallyEngineered Insecticidal Crops and Pesticide Use,"http://www.gefoodalert.org/library/admin/upload-edfiles/More_False_Promises_Genetically_Engineered_Ins.pdf

9 Losey, J. et al. "Transgenic Pollen HarmsMonarch Larvae." Nature. May 20, 1999.

10 Hansen, L. and Obrycki, J. “Non-targeteffects of Bt corn pollen on the Monarch butter-fly.” (Lepidoptera: Danaidae). Iowa StateUniversity. March 1999.

11Chapela, I.H., Quist, D. “Transgenic DNAIntrogressed into Traditional Maize Landracesin Oaxaca, Mexico.” Nature. 2001. vol. 414 pp.541-543.

> They are labeled to ensure the consumer'sright to know; and > The biotechnology corporations that manu-facture them are held responsible for any harm.

Founding members of the coalition includethe Center for Food Safety, Friends of theEarth, Institute for Agriculture and TradePolicy, National Environmental Trust, OrganicConsumers Association, Pesticide ActionNetwork North America, and the State PIRGs.

1025 Vermont Ave. NW 1025 Vermont Ave., NWWashington, DC 20005 USA1-877-843-8687(202) 783-0444 fax

Why Should Kraft and the Public Care About Genetically Engineered Foods?

TAKE ACTION!> Join our action alert network, get the latest news, and send an immediatee-comment to Kraft Foods at WWW.GEFOODALERT.ORG.

> Call Kraft Foods at 1-800-323-0768 and ask that they remove geneticallyengineered ingredients from their foods, starting with genetically engi-neered corn, until they are labeled and safety tested.

For more information, please contact us at:

3435 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 380Los Angeles, CA 90010(213) 251-3680 (213) 251-3699 fax