Resolution No.012-00-COE -----July 17, 2000

[Genetically Engineered Foods]

URGING THE CITY AND COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO TO GIVE PREFERENCE TO CERTIFIED ORGANIC FOOD VENDORS AND TO URGE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO LABEL AND TEST GENETICALLY ENGINEERED (G.E.) FOODS, AS WELL AS TO ASSIGN LIABILITY TO THE COMMERCIAL DEVELOPERS OF G.E. TECHNOLOGY.

WHEREAS, consumers of any food product have the right to complete confidence and thorough knowledge of any ingredient in their food or other products; and

WHEREAS, genetically engineered (g.e.) foods have not been adequately tested by any federal agency for long-term impacts on human health or the environment; and

WHEREAS, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) suggests only that companies engineering foods state that g.e. foods are safe, but requires no further testing; and

WHEREAS, competent scientific researchers have suggested that g.e. foods, seed, and other products could pose risks to the environment, including damaged soil ecology, harmful effects to wildlife, increased use of farm chemicals, and other potential effects; and

WHEREAS, scientists and other researchers have indicated that g.e. crops may harm beneficial insect species, such as Monarch butterflies, as well as threatened and endangered insect species; and

WHEREAS, g.e. materials could have serious impacts on levels of toxins in food, antibiotic resistance, cancer, immuno-suppression, and allergic reactions, and may be particularly threatening to children and the elderly; and

WHEREAS, in the event of a serious health impact and an ensuing lawsuit, the federal government has not yet assigned liability to the commercial developers of g.e. foods; and

WHEREAS, g.e. foods are growing in prevalence in the United States and around the world, without sufficient regulation or research; and

WHEREAS, many community organizations, representing farmers and sustainable agriculture interests, as well as consumers, environmentalists and others, have argued for a moratorium on g.e. foods, and some countries have effectively—if not officially—instituted a moratorium, including France, Italy, Denmark, Greece, and Luxembourg; and

WHEREAS, the European Commission has agreed on terms to guarantee the labeling of g.e. foods; and

WHEREAS, the City of Berkeley’s Unified School District’s Food Policy, adopted in August of 1999, establishes a goal of serving organic foods to the maximum extent possible in Berkeley’s schools; and

WHEREAS, the City of Berkeley’s Board of Education and the Berkeley City Council have approved resolutions to urge the federal government to ban the growing, disseminating, and marketing of products that contain g.e. organisms until they have been proven safe for human consumption and for the environment; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, that the Commission on the Environment hereby requests the Mayor and the Board of Supervisors to write a letter to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and United Stated Department of Agriculture (USDA) stating that all g.e. foods should be labeled clearly, that all g.e. material should be thoroughly researched and regulated, that liability should be assigned to the commercial developers of g.e. foods, and that, until these materials are proven safe, that the FDA, the EPA, and the USDA should establish a moratorium on these products; and, be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Commission on the Environment urges the Mayor and the Board of Supervisors to request that all City departments and agencies, including those in City Hall, give preference to certified organic food vendors during any and all contract negotiations; and, be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Commission on the Environment urges the Mayor and the Board of Supervisors to require that, by January of 2001, special events held by City departments and City agencies, including those in City Hall, give preference to caterers that avoid g.e. ingredients and use certified organic foods; and, be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Commission on the Environment urges the Mayor and the Board of Supervisors to urge the San Francisco Unified School District to serve certified organic lunches; and, be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Commission on the Environment urges the Mayor and the Board of Supervisors to request that the Department of Consumer Assurance provide educational materials about g.e. foods to grocers and where possible to the general public in San Francisco.

I hereby certify that this resolution was adopted by the Commission on the Environment at its regular meeting on July 17, 2000.

_________________________

Sraddha Mehta

Commission Secretary

VOTE:

Ayes: Commissioners Evans, Hayes, Shah, Werbe, Chang, and Bradford-Bell.
Noes: None.
Absent: Commissioner Bingham