Call to Action!!!
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GE Free Market Coalition Announces
Launch of National Supermarket Campaign
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The National Days of Action will take place on:
*Tuesday, March 12th on the East Coast U.S.
*Wednesday, March 13th in the Midwest U.S.
*Thursday, March 14th on the West Coast U.S.
Last November, Trader Joe's announced that they would stop using
genetically engineered ingredients in their store brand products.
This exciting announcement came after a year and a half of
grassroots pressure, as activists and customers nationwide
demanded Trader Joe's go GE Free.
It is time that large supermarket chains follow in the path laid out by
Trader Joe's. This March, get involved in this exciting campaign to
rid our supermarkets of experimental GE Foods! Activists and
concerned customers across the country will gather together in
front of supermarkets to demand that the food retailers remove
genetically engineered ingredients from their store brands.
**Safeway**
The nation's third largest grocer has refused to meet with Coalition
members to discuss how to source non-GE food ingredients in its
store brands. They also claim to care about their environmental
record. Join this national campaign to demand Safeway remove GE
ingredients from its store brand products! Safeway owns
Vons,Genuardi's, Dominick's, Carr's, Randall's, Pavilions, Tom
Thumb and Pak'n Save Foods.
*For information about Safeway events near you contact:_________
Regional Campaigns:
**Shaw's/Star market**
This New England chain is owned by Sainsbury's markets in the
UK. Sainsbury's does not use GE ingredients in their products sold
in Britain, yet they continue to use GE food in their U.S. products.
Shaw's has been the focus of a regional campaign for over a year
and has refused to listen to their customers.
**A&P / Food Emporium**
A&P has stores in 16 states under several names. Food Emporium
has been the target of an ongoing campaign in New York to rid
their store brands of GE ingredients. A&P, the parent company of
Food Emporium, is owned by a German grocer who is GE free
abroad, yet continues to sell GE foods to American customers.
**Publix**
This Florida-based grocery chain has stores in Florida, Alabama,
South Carolina and Georgia. They pride themselves on
environmental leadership, yet have so far refused to take a stand
on GE foods.
**Food Lion**
Food Lion is owned by a Belgian company who is GE free abroad,
but refuses to give the same assurances to their American
customers. Food Lion has stores in 11 states under the names
Food Lion, Kash N' Karry, Hannaford Bros. and Shop N' Save.
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Get Involved!
*Join an event at one of these supermarkets near you!
*Hold a press conference outside your regional supermarket chain!
*Coordinate a letter writing campaign or call in day!
*Educate supermarket customers about the dangers of GE foods!
For more information or to join an action near you, contact
New England:
Jill Ruben, Food Safety Advocate, MassPIRg
(617) 292 4800, masspirg@masspirg.org
Linda Setchell, GE Foods Campaign Director, Clean Water Action
(617) 338 8131, lsetchell@cleanwater.org
Rhode Island
DeeDee Lozano, Clean Water Action
(401) 331 6972, artemisday@netscape.net
Florida:
Sarasota Alliance for Safe Foods
(941) 921 3330, admin@protectorganic.org,
www.protectorganic.org
New York metro area:
Howard Brandstein and Claude Pedelaborde, SOS Food!
(212) 529 9720, sosny@mindspring.com
Pacific North West:
Terrie Miranda and Mark DesMarets,
North West Resistance Against Genetic Engineering
(503) 239 6841, info@nwrage.org
Southern California:
Brett Doran GE Free LA
(310) 392 7656, bdoran@enviroweb.org
For other areas, contact:
Jessica Hayes, Genetic Engineering Action Network (GEAN)
(617) 661 6626, ge_action@yahoo.com
Heather Whitehead, Greenpeace
(415) 255 9221x312, heather.whitehead@sfo.greenpeace.org
Simon Harris, Organic Consumers Association
(510) 525 7054, simon@organicconsumers.org
For information on what students are doing nationwide, contact
Free The Planet! (202) 547 3656, info@freetheplanet.org.
The GE Free Markets Coalition includes: