Giant Eagle
David Shapira, CEO
101 Kappa Drive
Pittsburgh, PA 15238

Dear Mr. Shapira,

I am sending you this letter to urge you to label any genetically engineered foods you may sell, whether the genetically modified food is in its whole form or is an ingredient in processed foods.

As you know, Kraft Foods recently was forced to recall its Taco Bell taco shells after it was discovered that the taco shells contained a variety of genetically engineered corn not approved for human consumption. This highly publicized incident underscores the risky nature of genetically engineered foods.

Recent surveys show that the vast majority of Americans want genetically engineered foods to be labeled. In a poll last year, 81 percent of those surveyed told Time magazine they want labels on genetically modified foods. Labeling is important for a number of reasons. People who have food allergies may be at risk if they eat foods that contain genes from other foods to which they are allergic. People with certain ethical or religious beliefs worry about inadvertently eating genes from foods they would not knowingly consume. And many people are worried about other health and environmental issues.

Varieties of potatoes and corn, for example, are currently being sold that have been genetically engineered to contain the Bt toxin (Bacillus thuringiensis). The Bt toxin stays in the cell structure of the plants and is deadly enough to kill insects. We are being told these foods are safe for human consumption, but we have heard that before about DDT and many other pesticides later shown to be cancer causing. And recently, Cornell University and Iowa University scientists discovered that Bt may be deadly to Monarch butterflies.

I do not want to eat genetically engineered foods that contain the Bt toxin. Nor do I want to eat "Roundup Ready" soybeans or other future products such as tomatoes that contain the gene from a fish. But without labeling I cannot avoid it. So I am asking you to label all genetically engineered foods.

Please write back to me and let me know what you are doing about labeling genetically engineered foods. Thank you!

Sincerely,
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