Kraft Foods (KFT)

Supporting Statement:

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It has been widely reported in the press that Kraft Foods is a major financial sponsor of the summer 2006 "gay games" in Chicago (Crain's Chicago Business, 5/23/05, "Gay Games Will Test Kraft, Harris"), and



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The gay rights movement is not a charitable activity; rather, it is a political movement designed to promote increased acceptance of the homosexual lifestyle, and



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Numerous studies have linked homosexual activity to sexually transmitted diseases. (MMWR, CDC, 8/26/05, "Shigella flexneri Serotype 3 Infections Among Men Who Have Sex With Men—Chicago, Illinois, 2003-2004"). STD's are often followed by sickness and even premature death, especially from AIDS. The gay community is a major contributor to the spread of STD illness, and



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The "gay games" event will be appealing to immature young people attracted by the excitement, fun, and even glamour of the event. Some of these young people are likely to experiment with homosexual behavior as a result of this appeal, and



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Because of the "gay games" sponsorship by our company, Kraft Foods may at some future date be found to be complicit and legally liable in a case in which a young attendee at the "gay games" decides to experiment with homosexual encounters and later develops a serious, even fatal, illness, and



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The economic costs to Kraft Foods Inc. and other businesses in terms of medical care for employees as well as loss of employee productivity caused by sexually transmitted diseases are huge. (perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, Vol. 36, Number 1, January/February 2004. "The direct cost of STDs including HIV among all age groups was estimated to be $9.3 - 15.5 billion in the U.S. in the mid-1990s").

Supporting Statement:

Indicators that genetically engineered organisms MAY be harmful to humans, animals, or the environment include:

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The report Safety of Genetically Engineered Foods: Approaches to Assessing Unintended Health Effects (National Academy of Sciences [NAS] 7/2004) states:... "there remain sizable gaps in our ability to identify compositional changes that result from genetic modification of organisms intended for food; to determine the biological relevance of such changes to human health; to devise appropriate scientific methods to predict and assess unintended adverse effects on human health." (p. 15)

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The study Gone to Seed, (Union of Concerned Scientists, 3/2004), found that genetically engineered DNA is contaminating U.S. traditional seeds (corn, soybean, canola), and that if left unchecked could disrupt agricultural trade, unfairly burden the organic foods industry, and allow hazardous materials into the food supply.

The FDA does not require producers of GE food products to seek prior FDA approval of finished GE food products; producers of GE-products are merely encouraged to have voluntary safety consultation with the FDA. The testing protocol on foods derived from biotechnology adopted in 2003 by the Joint UN FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission is not required by the FDA to assess GE foods on the U.S. market.

No post-marketing surveillance is in effect to verify pre-market screening for unanticipated adverse health consequences from the consumption of GE food. (NAS 7/2004)

European Union rules require traceability of food and feed ingredients to their source materials, and labeling of food containing more than 0.9% GE ingredients.

Insurers in Germany, the UK and elsewhere are refusing liability coverage for genetically engineered crops, an example of heightened concern about the long-term safety of GE crops.

Weed resistance to the herbicide used widely by farmers who plant genetically engineered herbicide resistant crops, is increasing. (Agriculture Research Service 8/24/04).

In December 2002, StarLink corn, not approved for human consumption, was detected in a U.S. corn shipment to Japan. StarLink first contaminated U.S. corn supplies in September 2000, triggering a recall of 300 products.

An August-September 2004 survey of 1,194 grain elevators across the United States conduct by the American Corn Growers Foundation Farmer Choice-Customer First program found that nearly one-quarter (23.7%) reported that they require segregation of biotech corn from conventional corn varieties.

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We believe such a report will disclose information material to the company's future.