News Briefs

United Poultry Concerns Joins Global Safe Food Alliance & News Conference

Public Citizen Forges the Alliance to put food
industry and federal government on notice

On April 23, 17 groups representing consumer, animal protection, whistleblower, environmental, and faith-based concerns held a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington DC to announce the formation of a new coalition that will focus on food safety, animal protection, and planetary responsibility. United Poultry Concerns president Karen Davis told a room full of press and government staff including FDA, USDA, Fox News Channel, CNBC, ABC Radio, Food Chemical News, Maryland Public Television, and Epress.ca (Canada's online video news portal) how deplorably chickens, turkeys and ducks are treated from birth to death including the fact that these 98 percent of farmed animals are excluded from the federal humane slaughter act, that they are tortured to death with electric shocks every day in U.S. slaughter plants, and that the starvation of hens for profit by the U.S. egg industry, the practice known as forced molting in which food is withheld from hens for 10 to 14 days, is a primary cause of Salmonella in the hens and their eggs.

"Our strength is in our diversity," said Wenonah Hauter, director of Public Citizen's Environmental Program. United Poultry Concerns brings to the Alliance the plight of poultry and vegetarian advocacy. UPC's definition of "humane farming" is nonanimal-based farming and our definition of "food" excludes animal products, UPC's president told the gathering. Other speakers were Gene Bauston of Farm Sanctuary, Felicia Nestor of the Government Accountability Project, and Christine Stevens of the Animal Welfare Institute. Statements were read from Dr. Samuel Epstein, Chairman of the Cancer Prevention Coalition, and Brother David Andrews of the National Catholic Rural Life Conference. For more information about the Alliance contact Wenonah Hauter of Public Citizen at 202-454-5150 or whauter@citizen.org.