I read Gabe Lewin’s “And now, a defense of Monsanto” (The Enterprise, April 4) and responses to it by Doug Graves (April 4) and Keith Redenbaugh (July 24) with interest. Davis is, after all, a very appropriate place to discuss such issues, being the birthplace of genetically engineered (GE) foods and current home of the Calgene Campus of Monsanto.
And especially now, with Prop 37, the California Right to Know initiative that will require labeling of GE foods, on the November ballot, I hope to see more opinions about GE foods expressed here in The Enterprise over the next couple of months.
Gabe and Keith and I all worked together at Calgene, Inc. when that company developed and marketed the Flavr SavrTM tomato back in 1994. That tomato, the world’s first commercially available GE food, was more than simply labeled; it came accompanied by tomato-shaped point-of-purchase brochures that explained the process of genetic engineering in lay terms and provided consumers with an 800 number in case they wanted even more information. I still have a sticker from a cello-wrapped package that proclaims: “Grown from genetically modified seeds.”
Calgene’s tomatoes sold like hot cakes at the Davis IGA, so well that they were rationed, two tomatoes/person/day. In fact, Calgene had trouble meeting the demand for its GE tomato. I attribute a large part of the public’s acceptance of the Flavr Savr tomato to Calgene’s transparency throughout its development, regulation and marketing.
Unfortunately, no GE food since then has been labeled in the U.S. and I think that’s been a big mistake. Lack of labeling has flamed public suspicion about these products and one of the best ways that the biotech industry could try to (re)establish public trust would be via transparency in the marketplace. Monsanto alum Gabe Lewin and I are in favor of labeling GE foods. I also believe it’s in the best, long-term interests of the biotech industry to support labeling as well.
So let’s go back to the transparent way that the world’s first GE food was introduced here in the United States. Vote “yes” on Prop 37.

Belinda Martineau

Davis

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