We support a moratorium on the planting of crops derived from genetically modified organisms (GMO),  pending environmental and human safety studies. Until such time as this technology is proven safe, all foods containing GMO ingredients should be clearly LABELED.

 

BACKGROUND

The Grand Rapids Dominican Sisters are members of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR) and support its mission: “Through the lens of faith, ICCR builds a more just and sustainable world by integrating social values into corporate and investor actions.”

ICCR is a coalition of faith and values-driven organizations who view the management of their investments as a powerful catalyst for social change. Our membership comprises nearly 300 organizations including faith-based institutions, socially responsible asset management companies, unions, pension funds and colleges and universities that collectively represent over $200 billion in invested capital.

Visit the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR) website for more information about issues including

 

OTHER RESOURCES

  • “Sustainable agriculture, food security and food safety are more urgent goals than ever as we enter the new millennium. In the developing countries the agricultural sector has multiple roles: to help ensure food security, anchor rural development, provide resources for the livelihood and adequate incomes of a majority of people and to do this without destroying the ecological base. There are thus two inextricably linked components, social and environmental, to agricultural sustainability.” — Chee Yoke Ling, Third World Network, Malaysia]
  • Much evidence indicates that sustainability with GMOs is not feasible. A very foundational issue is that food production in Third World countries needs to be diverse for local consumption. GMOs are effective for agribusiness and one-crop industries with large market potential. For the small farmer and local communities, this is unsound and would not allow for a variety of plants needed to sustain the food supply for a local village. The agricultural system in underdeveloped regions of the world should be geared primarily to meeting domestic needs for food and other products such as roofing and fencing materials, animal fodder, etc. The home garden is an important feature in traditional African farming systems. These gardens contain a great deal of plant diversity, since they serve as a source of vegetables, medicines, local brew for ceremonies and even clothing. Maintaining this diversity is critical to African livelihood and food security.
  • Pope John Paul II’s 1990 message for World Peace Day states: that “certain elements of today’s ecological crisis reveal its moral character. First among these is the indiscriminate application of advances in science and technology …The application of these discoveries in the fields of industry and agriculture has produced harmful long-term effects. This has led to the painful realization that we cannot interfere in one area of the ecosystem without paying due attention both to the consequences of such interference in other areas and to the well-being of future generations.