hi to all.
dont' send letters of protest to gov. or big companies via email as they delete them and can say they didnt recieve them too easily.
post them snail mail .
thanks shane.
Wollondilly Organic Seed Savers
Local Seed Cordinator: Shane Forsythe
0421 456 223 9am- 5pm or post include SSAE
Shane Forsythe
15 Harley Street
Yanderra NSW 2574
--- On Sat, 3/5/08, john mcnaull <mcrun@hermes.net.au> wrote:
From: john mcnaull <mcrun@hermes.net.au>
Subject: [Localseed-discuss] Fw: FSANZ call for public submissions on sale and use of new GM Corn - deadline May 20
To: "Growing our Groups" <localseed-discuss@mailman.communityfoods.com.au>
Received: Saturday, 3 May, 2008, 1:59 PM
you may have seen this - I think it would be well worth our while making
submissions.
best regards
John
----- Original Message -----
From: "john mcnaull" <mcrun@hermes.net.au>
To: <bmpermaclist@yahoogroups.com.au>
Sent: Saturday, May 03, 2008 11:39 AM
Subject: FSANZ call for public submissions on sale and use of new GM Corn -
deadline May 20
> Maybe we can put together some group submissions on this?
> more information on
>
http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/newsroom/mediareleases/mediareleases2008/fsanzseekspubliccomm3894.cfm
>
> Maybe pass it on as it may not be know about.
>
> Also, below, is email I sent to Coles. Will eventually get around to
> finding relevant addresses for other supermarkets. You are welcome to use
> it if you want to amplify the message.
>
> regards
> John
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "john mcnaull" <mcrun@hermes.net.au>
> To: "Coles Customer Relations"
<Customer.Relations@coles.com.au>
> Sent: Saturday, May 03, 2008 11:29 AM
> Subject: Re: Coles Customer Service
>
>
>> As yet I havn't received a reply on this - and I sent my comments
almost
>> six months ago! Could you please attend to this at your earliest
>> convenience, as it is a matter of greatest importance relating to Food
>> Safety.
>>
>> I will restate my enquiry for your convenience.
>>
>> The website of the Office Of Gene Technology Regulation advises that
GM
>> canola crops can cross with that of several other members of the
Brassica
>> family - including several food crops sold by Coles. While it advises
>> that the risk from this is low, several states in Australia now permit
>> unrestricted plantings of GM Canola, and thus the risk is increased by
>> the geographical extent of these plantings, and by the fact that the
risk
>> will be repeated year after year. There is now a small but
significant
>> risk of transgenes appearing in the plant material sold as fresh food
in
>> your supermarket.
>>
>> [http://www.ogtr.gov.au/pdf/ir/brassica.pdf. Vegetable Brassica Crops
>> (Brassica napus, B. oleracea and B. rapa) Gene flow from canola
(Brassica
>> napus) to B. napus vegetables (swedes, rutabaga, Siberian kale) is
>> possible. Gene flow to B. rapa vegetables (e.g. turnip, Chinese
cabbage,
>> pak choi) is also possible due to a common set of chromosomes. ]
>>
>> Food Standards Australia & NZ have not approved any transgenic
leaf
>> vegetables for human consumption, and that sale of such material would
be
>> illegal. Furthermore, their website refers to experiments indicating
>> that GM canola meal fed to rats has caused liver damage. While the
>> finding is inconclusive, it points to the fact that there no adequate
>> testing has been done to indicate that trasgenic leaf crops are safe
for
>> human consumption.
>>
>> Thus the implications of the above are as follows : there is now a
small
>> but significant risk of customers eating potentially dangerous
>> genetically modified food, purchased, unlabelled, from your
supermarket.
>> The consequences of such an occurance could potentially be serious for
>> Coles. Of immediate concern would the legal issues surround sale of
>> unapproved trasgenic material. The health impacts of such an event
are,
>> at best, unknown, but again potentially serious given what is already
>> known. Probably of greatest concern would be the blow to public
>> confidence in Coles as a responsible corporate citizen and major
provider
>> of food and grocery items to the Australian population.
>>
>> I do not believe that Coles intends for any of the above to occur, and
to
>> a certain extent you would be as much a victim of events outwith your
>> immediate control as we (the consumers) would be. However, given that
>> you are aware of the risks, I also believe that you have a duty of
care
>> towards your customers to minimise these risks and communicate clearly
>> about them. It would find it inconceivable that you are not already
aware
>> of such possibilities as described above.
>>
>> My question to Coles are as follows
>> 1. What is Coles view of the risks relating to consumption of fresh
food
>> inadvertantly contaminated by trasgenes.
>> 2. What quality control steps are Coles taking to ensure that produce
at
>> risk is being adequately screened to minimise this risk
>> 3. Will Coles go beyond minimum labelling requirements to require
that
>> all fresh produce is accurately labelled in regard to its GM status.
>> 4. What positive steps are Coles going to take to maintain public
>> confidence on this issue.
>>
>> Now that I have re-sent this communication to you, I eagerly await a
>> response at your earliest convenience. I hope that you do not
percieve
>> that this issue is 'too big' and that remaining silent is an
option for
>> you. As I indicated above, the reputation of Coles as a responsible
>> corporate citizen relies in part on you dealing pro-actively on issues
of
>> public health and safety.
>>
>> my very best regards to you
>> John McNaull
>> 11 Hughes Avenue
>> Lawson
>> NSW 2783
>> Australia
>>
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Coles Customer Relations"
<Customer.Relations@coles.com.au>
>> To: <mcrun@hermes.net.au>
>> Sent: Thursday, November 29, 2007 12:03 PM
>> Subject: Coles Customer Service
>>
>>
>>>
>>> Thank you for taking the time to forward your comments to Coles on
the
>>> 29-Nov-2007.
>>>
>>> We value your feedback, and wish to advise that the matter you
have
>>> raised has been referred to one of our Customer Relations
>>> Representatives who will be in contact with you in the near
future.
>>>
>>> We look forward to being of service to you.
>>>
>>> Regards,
>>>
>>> Coles Customer Relations
>>>
>>>
>>> This email and any attachments may contain privileged and
confidential
>>> information and are intended for the named addressee only. If you
have
>>> received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender and delete
this
>>> e-mail immediately. Any confidentiality, privilege or copyright is
not
>>> waived or lost because this e-mail has been sent to you in error.
It is
>>> your responsibility to check this e-mail and any attachments for
>>> viruses. No warranty is made that this material is free from
computer
>>> virus or any other defect or error. Any loss/damage incurred by
using
>>> this material is not the sender's responsibility. The
sender's entire
>>> liability will be limited to resupplying the material.
>>>
>>>
>>> --
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>>> Version: 7.5.503 / Virus Database: 269.16.9/1155 - Release Date:
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>>>
>>>
>>
>
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