Petaluma, Calif. – Straus Family Creamery, a West Coast pioneer of the non-GMO movement and first Non-GMO Project Verified dairy in the US, announces Founder and President Albert Straus’ speech on October 16, 2011 at the historic Right2Know March rally in front of the White House in Washington, DC. He will be speaking alongside renowned environmental and food activists Dr. Vandana Shiva and Andrew Kimbrell urging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to require labeling of genetically engineered (GE) foods and to give consumers the right to know what is in their foods.
Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) are those that are altered at the molecular level in ways that could not happen naturally. The DNA of plants and animals is combined with the DNA of other species and artificially changed to exhibit traits such as cold or herbicide resistance. The safety of GE foods has never appropriately been assured. It is estimated that 60-70% of processed foods in the US contain at least some GE material. American consumers have no way of knowing if they are eating GE foods, unlike consumers in the European Union, Australia, New Zealand and China, where GMO labeling is required.
The momentum of the GMO labeling movement is expected to grow sharply during Non-GMO Month of October, of which Straus Family Creamery is a proud sponsor. Several different initiatives are getting off the ground: The Right2Know March from New York to Washington DC is underway and is scheduled to arrive at the White House on World Food Day, October 16, where Albert Straus will be speaking at the final rally. As one of the 300 partners of the Just Label It Campaign, which launched last week, Straus Family Creamery is reaching out to its customers, families and friends to help achieve the goal of gathering over one million consumer comments to the FDA in support of their petition requesting labeling of GE foods.
“As the first non-GMO verified dairy in the US we have been at the forefront of this movement from day one,” says Albert Straus, “It is our mission to protect small family farms and to practice sustainable agriculture. GMOs have no place in our food supply. Not only consumers need to know what is in their foods – it is also essential that farmers know what they are feeding their livestock. So far, we have had to take it upon ourselves to ensure our milk remains GMO-free.”
Straus Family Creamery makes sure that no GMOs enter the production cycle at any level. Straus Family Creamery's milk, the base of all Straus products, remains pure because all feed for the cows is tested and certified non-GMO. The same standard is set for all ingredients that go into our other products, such as yogurt, ice cream and sour cream. For a small company with a focus on local markets, these measures come at a considerable cost of time and money. Labeling of GE products will start shifting this burden from individual companies to the market as a whole.
About Straus Family Creamery
Straus Family Creamery strives to consistently provide the highest quality, best-tasting organic milk, yogurt, butter, ice cream, and sour cream made with minimal processing and wholesome ingredients. Straus Family Creamery makes business decisions considering environmental and ecological priorities, which support the philosophy of sustainable, organic family farming, for the health and well being of the company, its farmers, employees and the community at large.
Source: Straus Family Creamery