Biotech Fears Hit Kraft - Group Cites Lack of Tests on Ingredients in Seven Foods
By Jennifer Heldt Powell
Boston Herald, February 7, 2002

Abstract:
Consumer activists called on food giant Kraft Foods Inc. to pull genetically altered ingredients from products including Taco Bell taco shells, Lunchables and Stove Top Stuffing. The group tested 10 Kraft products and found the questionable ingredients in seven, including Boca Burgers, Snackwell's crackers, Post Blueberry Morning Cereal and Tombstone Pizza.

Ingredients in question - MassPIRG wants Kraft Foods Inc. to pull genetically altered ingredients from these products. The company says they are safe.

Full Text:
Consumer activists called on food giant Kraft Foods Inc. to pull genetically altered ingredients from products including Taco Bell taco shells, Lunchables and Stove Top Stuffing.

Those calling for the ban, including the Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group, charge that the ingredients could cause or exacerbate allergies and illnesses.

The ingredients are federally approved for use in foods but haven't been thoroughly tested, the activists say.
"We're concerned about health effects," said MassPIRG spokeswoman Jill Ruben. "There isn't a good body of evidence."
The group tested 10 Kraft products and found the questionable ingredients in seven, including Boca Burgers, Snackwell's crackers, Post Blueberry Morning Cereal and Tombstone Pizza.

A Kraft spokesman took issue with the activists' safety concerns.
"There is a strong consensus globally among medical, scientific and government experts that biotech crops are safe. If we believed these ingredients posed any risk, you can be sure they wouldn't be in our products," said Michael Mudd, a spokesman for the Illinois company.

He said the safety-tested ingredients derive from techniques that increase crop yields and reduce the need for pesticides.
Kraft was targeted because it is the nation's largest food manufacturer and boasts that its products are found in 99 percent of U.S. households.

Caption: Ingredients in question - MassPIRG wants Kraft Foods Inc. to pull genetically altered ingredients from these products. The company says they are safe.

Boca Burgers
Taco Bell taco shells
Lunchables
Tombstone Pizza
SnackWell's Crackers
Post Blueberry Morning Cereal
Stove Top Stuffing

Source: MassPIRG; Staff graphic by Jeff Walsh