Genetically
KRAFTED
CITIZENS ACROSS CONTINENT
DEMAND THAT KRAFT GO GE-FREE!
WEEK OF ACTION UPDATE
By Lisa Archer, Friends of the Earth
In this issue:

ROUND THREE
FOR SAFE FOOD:
Actions in 200 cities

First Meeting Held
with Kraft

Is Kraft Phasing-out
GE Corn?

Training Tour:
Coming Soon to a
Town Near You!



TAKE ACTION: Tell
Kraft to keep
perscription drugs
out of your
cornflakes!
Page 3
Nailing The Coffin
Shut on
Frankenfoods
Page 2
Welcome and
Campaign Briefs
Page 2

NJ activist Diane Beeney just
says no to GMOs at a recent
Kraft demonstration.
In the battle against
genetically engineered
foods pressure on Kraft
continued to build during
the week of October 5th12th with our third week of
action. Thousands of
citizens across the U.S.
and Canada took part in
the largest round of
actions yet in the
campaign demanding that
Kraft stop using untested
and unlabeled genetically
engineered ingredients in
its products.
Momentum built throughout
the week as actions took
place in more than 200
locations with leafleting,
protests, and product returns
at grocery stores.
At Kraft’s headquarters near
Chicago, dozens of activists
gathered, led by Genewise,
Friends of the Earth, Family
Farm Defenders, students,
and members of Earthsave’s
Chicago chapter, returning
cartloads of Kraft products
Continued on page 4
CAPACITY BUILDING FOR A WORLD
FREE FROM GENETIC ENGINEERING!
By Skip Spitzer, Pesticide Action Network
Genetically Engineered
Food Alert is providing free
day-long training sessions
to individuals and groups
interested in a sane and
healthy food supply. These
sessions provide an
opportunity to ask
questions about genetically
engineered crops and
foods, hear about the Kraft
campaign and
opportunities to plug in,
and custom-made activist
skills workshops. Skills
topics include: The role of
organizing in social
change, Organizational
development, Leadership
development, Effective
meetings and decisionmaking, Campaign
development, Coalition
building, Forms of
outreach, Media work,
Facilitation, Decisionmaking by consensus,
Goal-setting, Identifying
targets, constituents, allies
and opponents, Developing
tactics, Power analysis tools,
and Non-violent direct action.
Continued on page 3
FIRST MEETING
WITH KRAFT HELD
IN WASHINGTON, DC
By Kate Madigan, State PIRGs
Another key step forward in
our campaign is the
beginning of a productive
dialogue with the company.
On September 23, two Kraft
executives traveled to
Washington, DC to meet with
GE Food Alert
representatives and talk
about our concerns about
their use of genetically
engineered foods. We will
continue this dialogue, and
have another meeting with
Kraft scheduled in
December.
Fall/Winter 2002
Volume 1, Issue 2
KRAFT STARTING
TO PHASE OUT
GE CORN?
Recent tests commissioned by
GE Food Alert may indicate
that Kraft is starting to heed
consumer concerns about
risks posed by genetically
engineered foods.
Tests of six popular Kraft
products containing corn and
soy revealed that none of the
corn products contained GE
corn, while all soy products
tested positive for GE soy.
This is especially significant
since lab-oratory tests of Kraft
products in January found
genetically engineered corn in
all six products tested.
It appears that Kraft may be
phasing out the use of
genetically engineered corn in
response to consumer
concern about the health and
environmental risks posed by
genetically engineered corn
and highlighted by StarLink™
corn contamination of Kraft
products in 2000.
Product samples that lab
results indicate do not contain
engineered corn include: Post
Honey Bunches of Oats with
Strawberries, Post Alpha Bits,
Fig Newtons, and Barnum’s
Animal Crackers. Products
that have tested positive for
GE soy include Shake and
Bake, Balance Bars, and Boca
Burgers.
Consumer demand in Europe
convinced Kraft Foods to
remove genetically engineered
ingredients from their
European products as long
ago as 1999. The company
has yet to publicly offer such
alternatives in the United
States.
DEAR FRIENDS,
Welcome to Genetically
KRAFTed, our Kraft Safe
Food Campaign newsletter.
Thanks again for all of your
amazing efforts so far in
calling on the largest food
company in the country to
stop using virtually
untested, unlabeled
genetically engineered
ingredients in its products.
In Brief:
TELL KRAFT TO STOP
THE EXPERIMENT!
Keep an eye out in your
email during late November
and Early December for our
latest Kraft action: a flash
animated action alert that
illustrates the reasons why
growing numbers of people
are telling Kraft to stop its
experiment on our health
and environment. Please
take action and send it on to
your email lists—the further
this spreads, the more we
can flood Kraft with emails
and faxes.
NEW CAMPAIGN
MATERIALS
AVAILABLE
New posters, leaflets,
factsheets, sample press
kits, petitions and stickers
are now available to help
build your local efforts for
GE-free food and send a
strong message to Kraft that
we’re not going to be guinea
pigs for untested, unlabeled
genetically engineered
products. A new teach-in
presentation on GE foods
and the Kraft campaign will
also available soon on our
website.
Contact action@foe.org or
call us at 1-877-843-8687
and speak with Lisa Archer
to order these new and
improved materials.
NEW CAMPAIGN
WEBSITE LAUNCHED
Launched in September,
Krafty.org is both a parody of
We know that not all of the
thousands of dedicated
volunteers and activists working
on this campaign for safe food
have easy access to email. And
on the other hand, many of you
are buried in emails, so we’ve
decided to provide periodic oldfashioned, 100% recycled paper
updates with news, opportunities
to take action, and updates on
what’s happening in the
movement for GE-free
food. We would love to
receive any submissions,
comments and ideas to the
next edition more useful,
inspiring and
informative.
For Our Health and the
Earth,
Genetically Engineered
Food Alert Coalition
the Kraft.com site and
campaign central for the Kraft
Safe Food Campaign.
This new site makes it easier
to find and download materials
and resources, keep updated
on campaign news and
upcoming actions, and see
photos of actions from across
North America! Check it out at
www.krafty.org
TRAINING TOUR
Continued from page 1
Workshops will be lead by Skip
Spitzer, who has worked as an
activist and organizer on a wide
range of social and environmental
issues, working locally, nationally
and internationally, for more than
20 years. Skip is Campaign
Coordinator for the genetic
engineering program at Pesticide
Action Network North America
(PANNA) and serves as Chair of
the Steering Committee of the
Genetic Engineering Action
Network (GEAN).
Upcoming Tour Stops Include:
11/23/02 Kalamazoo, MI,
10am-6pm, at The Space, 527 E.
Michigan Street, contact
Elizabeth Forest, (269) 383-0596
12/7/02 Eugene, OR, location
TBA*
1/18/03 Minnesota, location
TBA*
1/25/03 Olympia, WA, location
TBA*
2/13-16/03 Hawaii, location
TBA*
2/22/03 Denver, CO, location
TBA*
*For more info or to help
organize one in your area,
please contact: Norm Kaethler,
(415) 981-6205 x352,
normkaethler@panna.org
Franken-Mac&Cheese: www.krafty.org offers action ideas,
resources, news and alternatives to Kraft’s genetically
engineered foods.
NAILING THE COFFIN SHUT ON
FRANKENFOODS
By Simon Harris, Organic Consumers Association
Bummed by the elections? Consider the ways we are still
winning on GE foods. Contrary to the claims of a literal army
of public relations flacks, politicians, and indentured
scientists, the first wave of genetically engineered (GE)
foods and crops are suffering from a fatal hemorrhage.
Farmers and consumers, joined by a number of brave
scientists are, for the first time in modern history, stopping a
new and dangerous technology dead in its tracks. Public
acceptance and farmer use of agricultural biotechnology
has peaked and is now moving down in a slow but
inevitable decline.
No new species -- no rice, no wheat, no sugar beets, no fish
– have been both engineered and commercialized in the
U.S. in the last two years--nor are they likely to gain
approval for commercialization on the global market. Those
already approved (such as Bt corn) will come under
increasing pressure as scientific evidence mounts that they
are dangerous for human health and the environment, and
as labeling becomes mandatory in most nations.
Activists in Europe and the rest of the world have begun
positioning themselves to go after the jugular vein of
Frankencrops--corn, soy, canola, and cottonseeds in animal
feed--which is where 80% or more of the world's GE crops
are now funneled. Despite anticipation that the European
Continued on page 3
ACTION ALERT: TELL KRAFT TO KEEP DRUGS AND CHEMICALS
OUT OF OUR FOOD!
VACCINES IN YOUR OREOS?
BLOOD CLOTTERS IN YOUR MAC
AND CHEESE?
UPDATE: USDA REVEALS
CONTAMINATION HAS
OCCURRED
Genetically Engineered Food Alert
recently called on the USDA to
prohibit outdoor cultivation of a new
class of genetically engineered crops
that threaten to contaminate the food
supply—crops engineered to
produce prescription drugs or
industrial chemicals. The new crops
have already been planted in over
300 field trials at secret locations
nationwide. While corn is by far the
most popular biopharm plant,
soybeans, tobacco and rice have
also been engineered to produce
substances including an abortioninducing chemical, potent growth
hormones, a blood clotter, blood
thinners, industrial enzymes,
vaccines (including Hepatitis B and
AIDS), and trypsin, an allergenic
enzyme.
In 2000, StarLink corn, planted on
less than 1% of total U.S. corn
acreage, contaminated hundreds of
food products and corn seed stock
with a potentially allergenic protein
despite the use of gene containment
measures. Under such conditions,
contamination of the food supply with
pharmaceuticals from these genetically
engineered crops is inevitable, which
means that you could be eating
someone else’s prescription drugs in
your corn flakes.
properly protect the food supply, the
Genetically Engineered Food Alert coalition
is once again calling on the USDA to
prohibit open-air cultivation of all crops
genetically engineered with
biopharmaceuticals, industrial chemicals or
other substances with potential human
health impacts.
Unfortunately, federal agencies have
failed to heed these warnings. On
November 13th, 2002, the USDA
revealed that 500,000 bushels of
soybeans destined for human
consumption have been quarantined
due to contamination by biopharm corn.
The USDA has refused to reveal what
chemical or drug was grown in the
biopharmaceutical corn, or divulge the
exact location where the contaminated
food crop is being held. Perhaps most
disturbing is the fact that the USDA was
unable to ensure 100 percent
containment of the contaminated crop,
or offer specifics on this gross failure of
their regulatory system.
TAKE ACTION!
Even major trade associations are
worried. The Grocery Manufacturers of
America are calling on the biotech
industry to cease using food crops for
pharmaceutical purposes entirely.
In the wake of this latest failure to
 Ask if Kraft can confirm that none
FRANKENFOODS
Continued from page 2
moratorium would be lifted on
October 17, the vote was delayed
and the moratorium holds. The EU
is standing through a vote to finalize
labeling legislation, the vote tall in
the face of the U.S. and potential
World Trade Organization sanctions.
This is ground for celebration and
reason for hope. The battle against
genetically engineered foods and
crops over the past decade has
shown that global Civil Society can
stand up to transnational
corporations and indentured science
and government and literally change
the dynamics of the marketplace,
alter public perceptions, and
eventually transform public policies.
Congratulations to all of you. In
North America we have a special
obligation, and now an opportunity,
to do what our counterparts in
CALL Kraft Foods at 1-800-323-0768
or WRITE to Kraft at:
Ms. Betsy Holden
President and CEO
Kraft Foods North America
3 Lakes Drive
Northfield, IL 60093
Europe, Japan and other nations have
already done: to put so much pressure
on major food companies like Kraft, that
they voluntarily ban the use of GE
ingredients in their products. Although it
has taken GE Food Alert and allied US
activists several years to gather the
resources and volunteers to take on the
major food giants such as Kraft/Philip
Morris in hundreds of cities at the same
time, activists are confident that
marketplace pressure from this point on
will snowball until a critical mass is
achieved. As Connie Minowa of the
OCA put it at a recent activist gathering
in Minnesota, "The dominos are starting
to fall. First, Trader Joe's supermarkets,
a major regional chain removed GE
ingredients from their store line brands,
but gradually even the largest
companies like Kraft are going to face
the kind of pressure that has broken
their support for GMOs in Europe."
of their foods are contaminated
with biopharmaceuticals and ask
them to remove all genetically
engineered foods from their
products until they are tested and
found safe, labeled, and liability
standards are in place.
 Ask Kraft to pressure the USDA
and FDA to ban engineering of
food crops that produce
pharmaceutical drugs and industrial
chemicals.
Or send an instant e-message to Kraft
at:
http://www.gefoodalert.org/takeaction/
For more information, read our press
releases, factsheet, and recent report
on biopharmaceutical crops at
www.gefoodalert.org.
UPDATE continued from page 1
1025 Vermont Ave.,
NW, Suite 300
Washington, DC 20005
Phone:
(202) 783-7400 x190
or 1-877-843-8687
(toll free)
E-Mail:
Action@foe.org
We’re on the Web!
www.krafty.org
straight to Kraft’s
doorstep. In Austin, Texas
activists dressed up as
Kraft products and did a
leafleting tour inside and
outside of grocery stores.
Students with
Ecopledge.com at
Dartmouth University
gathered over 700 Kraft
Campaign surveys and
held a press conference
releasing survey results
that showed a majority of
students want Kraft to
remove GE ingredients.
In Madison, Wisconsin
and numerous other cities,
concerned citizens held
product returns—bringing
back cartloads of
genetically engineered
Kraft products to grocery
stores for a refund and
talking with store
managers and customers
about the hazards of GE
foods. Activists in Boulder,
Colorado dressed in giant
fruit costumes and scary
paper mache masks were
joined by professors,
Green party candidates,
Ecopledge, and COGEAN
representatives in a press
conference.
The week of action and
demonstration at Kraft’s
headquarters garnered
national and local news
coverage, including a
photo in the Chicago
Tribune, stories on NBC
news, and Newsradio 780,
the largest news radio
station in Kraft’s
hometown of Chicago. In
addition, stories circulated
in many local papers,
About Genetically Engineered Food Alert
including the Colorado
Daily, and in
internationally distributed
wire services United Press
International and Agence
France Presse. To see
coverage, visit our
website: www.krafty.org.
Thank you to everyone
that participated in this
successful third round of
actions! Let’s keep
pushing the envelope and
keep up the pressure on
Kraft to stop its biotech
experiment on our health
and the environment.
TAKE ACTION IN
YOUR COMMUNITY!
Contact Lisa Archer at
action@foe.org or 1-877843-8687 to get an action
kit or visit our website
www.krafty.org.
Genetically Engineered Food Alert founding members include: Center for Food Safety, Friends of the Earth,
Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, National Environmental Trust, Organic Consumers Association,
Pesticide Action Network North America, and the State Public Interest Research Groups.
Genetically Engineered Food Alert supports the removal of genetically engineered ingredients from grocery
store shelves unless they are adequately safety tested and labeled. The coalition is endorsed by more than 250
scientists, religious leaders, doctors, chefs, environmental and health leaders, as well as farm groups.
GE Food Alert
1025 Vermont Ave., NW,
Suite 300
Washington, DC 20005