Students from Boston University and Boston College joined Greenpeace activists to hold an ‘adoption ceremony’ on Friday at Shaw’s Supermarket in Allston, in an attempt to educate employees of their sales of risky, genetically engineered foods among store-brand products.
Participants presented the store manager with a card, certificate, and heart-shaped cake on Valentine’s Day, saying they would ‘adopt’ the store until it removes genetically engineered foods.
‘The manager was receptive and very surprised after we gave him the ‘present,” said Crystal Leaver of Greenpeace, part of a worldwide alliance calling on supermarkets, such as Star Market and Shaw’s, to remove genetically engineered ingredients from store-brand products.
Leaver said clear, reserved communication is key in conveying the message to employees and customers.
Several students stood outside the store’s main entrance, regardless of the freezing cold that morning, enthusiastically handing out Valentine’s Day cupcakes and literature to passersby customers about their cause.
Many customers were willing to hear the volunteers out and participate in the effort to educate others about the risks of genetically engineered food.
The Greenpeace organization has established the ‘True Food Network,’ a free service that connects consumers around the world, sending them updates on ‘simple things they can do to protect our food supply and the environment from these dangerous ingredients.’
According to literature distributed, 60 to 70 percent of processed foods sold on supermarket shelves contain genetically engineered ingredients, created by inserting genes from plants, animals, viruses and bacteria into unrelated plants and animals.
The practice of genetic engineering is very new, and risky and unpredictable, protesters said, with the potential for creation of new food allergies, loss of antibiotics for fighting disease and the spread of pollution from toxics.
‘This campaign began in Europe, using the same strategy that we have been applying,’ Leaver said.
The parent company of Shaw’s, J. Sainsbury’s of England, has already removed all genetically engineered ingredients from store-brand goods. According to the ‘True Food Network,’ consumer pressure has resulted in the labeling of genetically engineered foods in Europe, Japan, Russia and several other countries.
According to an article released by Greenpeace, 90 percent of American consumers want mandatory labeling of genetically engineered foods, yet Shaw’s has said its customers have not expressed concern about this issue.
Jaime Waters, a Boston College freshman, did her part by joining with other students and activists in traveling to several Boston area stores to hold ‘adoption ceremonies’ to inform employees and consumers of the dangerous risks of G.E. foods.
‘I’m actually here from Ecopledge, a national campaign to make sure that corporations do their part to safeguard the global environment,’ she said. ‘Shaw’s is not specifically targeted by us; we’re mainly focused on companies that support consumers to get them to be more environmentally friendly.’
Waters said Ecopledge set up a similar campaign at Staples.
‘After a worldwide protest, the company increased their recycled paper products to 30 percent,’ she said. ‘Colleges would have ‘days of action’ where we would hand out literature and speak out.’
The store manager said he would send the literature to the corporate office, where the issue would need to be taken up.