[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 11 (Tuesday, February 8, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: February 8, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                  A CALL FOR CORRECT LABELING OF MILK

  (Mr. SANDERS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Speaker, on February 4, BST, a bovine growth hormone 
produced by the Monsanto chemical company through genetic engineering, 
was allowed on the market by the FDA. On that very same day some of the 
largest dairy retailers and grocery store chains in America, including 
Ben and Jerry's in Vermont, announced that they would not handle or 
sell milk or dairy products which came from cows which had been 
injected with BST.
  Mr. Speaker, poll after poll has shown that the American people did 
not want their milk supply to be treated with BST. And furthermore, 
they want to know exactly what they are buying in the grocery store. In 
Vermont, a recent poll showed that 94 percent of the people said that 
``products containing milk from hormone-treated cows should be 
labeled.''
  Mr. Speaker, I am deeply concerned about the FDA's interim guidance 
statement on labeling. Once again in this process, the wording they 
recommend protects the interests of Monsanto and not consumers or diary 
farmers. The people want to know the answer to one simple question when 
they read the label: Was this milk produced with a genetically 
engineering growth hormone, or was it not? They don't want to read more 
FDA propaganda for Monsanto.
  Mr. Speaker, the FDA must allow dairy processors to label milk simply 
and clearly, and let the consumer decide.

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