Genetically Engineered Foods: A Self-Defense Guide for Consumers

Stormy debates about genetically engineered (GE) food have raged throughout Asia and Europe, particularly in the UK, where the 1995 outbreak of "mad cow" disease ignited a groundswell of activism and outrage about food safety. Now, as the GE food debate gains momentum in the United States and elsewhere around the world, two leading consumer advocates give us Genetically Engineered Food, a comprehensive, up-to-the-minute guide to the risks posed by GE foods-and what you can do to avoid them. Ronnie Cummins and Ben Lilliston discuss the ethical, environmental, and health arguments against GE food, how these foods are being regulated in the U.S. and abroad, and why consumers are right to oppose them.

In addition, Genetically Engineered Food offers in-depth information about:

* How to identify the types of food most likely to be GE
* Where the major food companies, supermarkets, and restaurant chains stand on the issue, and which food companies and stores are going GE-free
* Food products, ingredients and companies to avoid
* Foods and brands you should buy and where you can find them
* How you can shop and act with a purpose.

Ronnie Cummins is the national director of the Organic Consumers Association (www.purefood.org) and the editor of BioDemocracy News, a monthly online newsletter devoted to genetic engineering, factory farming, and organics. Ben Lilliston is a writer on health and the environment and is the communications coordinator for the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy in Minneapolis.