Davenport, Iowa – Today, Tuesday, Oct. 2, local activists held a call-in day and generated dozens of calls
to Senator Joe Seng, asking him to support mandatory labeling of genetically engineered food. The call-
in day was part of a statewide campaign initiated by the national consumer advocacy organization Food
&Water Watch to push for legislation to make the labeling of genetically engineered (GE) foods the law
in Iowa.

"We need to know what we are eating, and what we're feeding to our children. There should be a simple
label for genetically engineered foods," said Emily Clow, a local activist.

A local organic farmer, a mother, a professor at St. Ambrose, and a massage therapist are just a few of
the activists in the Quad Cities working to build support for GE food labeling in Iowa. While over 50
other countries—including Australia, Brazil, and European Union—require the labeling of genetically
engineered foods, the US does not.GE foods are very common in our food system and often come in the
form of ingredients like corn syrup and vegetable oil, which are most likely derived from GE corn and
soybeans. The vast majority of corn and soybeans produced in this country are genetically engineered.
Other genetically engineered foods include sugar beets, squash, and sweet corn.

A 2008 CBS/New York Times poll showed that 87% of consumers want all genetically engineered
ingredients labeled. Much of this public support for labeling is caused by consumer concerns over the
health impacts of genetically engineered foods.

The team of activists in Davenport is part of a statewide campaign to push for the mandatory labeling of
GE foods. Future events, such as film screenings, educational sessions and other exciting group actions,
will be taking place over the coming months.

Food & Water Watch works to ensure the food, water and fish we consume is safe, accessible and
sustainable. So we can all enjoy and trust in what we eat and drink, we help people take charge of where
their food comes from, keep clean, affordable, public tap water flowing freely to our homes, protect the
environmental quality of oceans, force government to do its job protecting citizens, and educate about the
importance of keeping shared resources under public control.

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