Alert to
citizens!
To the Mayor, City Hall Dear Mayor: Core and more, supermarkets shelve produce, which seems perfect. Vegetables all have the same size and the same color. They last longer when customers keep them at home. Our association has been informed that experiments have been conducted to modify vegetable and fruit characteristics by splicing genes. We also know that we can't evaluate exactly what the ramifications of such manipulations will be. These interventions are not foolproof. As long as long term safety testing has not been performed, we do not accept genetically engineered food. We insist that all Houston supermarkets inform customers about the origin of produce by labeling all the items, following the example of organically grown food. Therefore, we are asking you and your administration to act on this situation. We thank you in advance for your consideration and we remain at your disposal for any further information. Sincerely, To the Mayor, City Hall Dear Mayor: The reason that I'm writing to you is to inform you about the dangers of genetically engineered foods. I'm sure you receive letters full of complaints and concerns about this. Genetically engineered foods are a big breakthrough. I can accept it is some ways, but this great progress also brings many problems. Now these foods are sitting on the shelves without any information for the consumer. They are not labeled. The biggest problem is we don't know what we are eating. Last week, my daughter and I went to a restaurant that we usually go to. After we left, my daughter became ill. Later we learned that there were fish genes in the tomatoes that we ate. She had a terrible reaction to the tomatoes because she is allergic to fish. This is just one example. I'm not the one to tell you what to do, but I believe you will do the best for us before it's too late. Regards, To the Manager, Good Foods Supermarket Dear Manager: In this letter, I want to express my concern about the recent problem found in your supermarket. I have been a customer for 20 years and have never had any problems, but I heard that you are now accepting food that is manipulated with genetic engineering. This is threatening our food supply. Probably behind this exist big economical reasons, but it is unfair and exposes humans to health dangers. The first thing that scares me is that genetic engineering is an imprecise technology. It is impossible to try to change the nature of something by mixing another organism into it. I think the nature of each element in the universe has to be respected. I don't believe in this. It is something so dangerous that it can cause serious illness and allergic reactions, or maybe, death. I think we as consumers have the right to be warned when products are created with genetic engineering. For this reason, we demand the use of labels on each product to prevent the consumption of products that are really dangerous for our health. Thank
you, To Congressman X, Government Office Dear Mr. Congressman: The purpose of this letter is to express to you my concern about the development of genetically engineered food. Such a procedure, I think, is tampering with nature. There are some points that support my opinion. First, this food has been spliced with genes that can be dangerous for some people. They can be allergic to these genes, and the only way to make them aware is by putting labels on the food that has been altered. Second, the techniques used in the procedure are not clear. Clearly, we have the right to know exactly what the ramifications are. In most cases, the procedures are not foolproof. Among other things, these are my most important concerns about genetically engineered food. For me it would be very important that you suggest the improvement of procedures for genetically engineering food and also the use of labels so that consumers will know it has been done. Hopefully you can help us get regulations to protect human health. Sincerely, To the Editor, Local Newspaper Dear Editor: Nowadays, there is a crucial problem in our society, and most people are not aware of it. It concerns genetically engineered food. I know that you are one of the most popular media with social responsibility; therefore, I am writing this letter to you. I want you to be a part of our campaign to ban all those harmful genetically engineered foods. Without informing consumers, some manufacturers have done something to their products. Sometimes, we know that they have done something, but it is acceptable because it is not harmful to our health. Other times though, they do not say anything and that situation could cause deaths. I want you to think of a situation where a trout gene has been added to tomatoes. A man who is allergic to trout eats the tomatoes, and he dies. Who will take the responsibility for his death? If you don't want that story to become reality, please join us. We look forward to your reply in your newspaper, and we hope that you will become part of our campaign. Sincerely
yours, Dear Publisher: Unfortunately, I am not your subscriber anymore. You know why? Only because none of your supermarket advertisements (which I am interested in) include any information about genetically engineered food. Please, don't ask me, "Who does?" Why don't you be first in such a progress movement? Imagine the benefits that you could bring to your subscribers. I bet my life that many of them are food sensitive. After seeing all those bright pictures and cutting out the coupons, the poor customer who has allergies runs to the supermarket. He knows the food that he has an allergy to. For example, he has an allergy to fish. But how can he know that tomatoes to which he doesn't have an allergy contain fish genes in it? So that tomato salad could be his last meal. Think about it. Not only would this information benefit subscribers, but also it could make your magazine unique and distinctive. The best part is that I would be your subscriber again. Sincerely
yours, Return
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Genetically-Engineered
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Simulated letter to a city mayor by
Véronique
Schlumberger from
France