Union of Concerned Scientists
2 Brattle Square, Cambridge, MA 02238
Phone 617-547-5552 | Fax 617-864-9405 | Email ucs@ucsusa.org

American Corn Growers Association Both the Union of Concerned Scientists and the American Corn Growers Association -- which, needless to say, does not really represent most corn growers -- joined the Center for Food Safety and more than 50 other foes of biotech in 2000 to demand that the FDA subject genetically enhanced foods to burdensome approval standards and labeling procedures.

Center for Food Safety Margaret Mellon, the Union of Concerned Scientists’ complainer-in-chief when it comes to genetically enhanced foods, is also an Advisory Board member of the misnamed Center for Food Safety (CFS). Of course, CFS’s agenda has nothing to do with safety and everything to do with opposing advances in food technology, so Mellon and CFS’s Andrew Kimbrell are like two peas from the same organic-only pod. The two groups have come together on numerous occasions to petition the USDA and the FDA on a variety of biotech issues. One recent co-drafted legal action carps about “large agribusiness corporations” having “undue influence on who will be certifying organic producers.”

Center for Science in the Public Interest The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), along with the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), is one of the main players in the Keep Antibiotics Working coalition, which opposes the use of antibiotics in farm animals. UCS belongs to CSPI’s Foodspeak coalition -- an organization dedicated to protecting its member groups from the liability they would face from intentionally misrepresenting the truth about the food you eat. Foodspeak hopes to end (and find creative ways around) food disparagement laws. On a completely unrelated note, in 1982 the two groups joined a coalition protesting the cancellation of the left-wing Ed Asner’s “Lou Grant” TV show on CBS.

Environmental Media Services The Union of Concerned Scientists has been a prime beneficiary of Environmental Media Services (EMS) and its slick PR work. UCS often participates in press conferences organized by EMS, including those on highly politicized issues like the nomination of Gail Norton as Secretary of the Interior, the Kyoto “global warming” treaty, and President George W. Bush’s energy plan. UCS “experts” are commonly quoted in EMS press releases. And EMS is also a driving force behind the Genetic Engineering Action Network, of which UCS is a charter member.

Greenpeace The Union of Concerned Scientists commonly collaborates with the most notorious radical environmental groups, including Greenpeace. The two groups co-sign appeals to government agencies on everything from nuclear safety to biotech crops. They are both members of the Save our Environment Coalition, whose main claim to fame is organizing a Dave Matthews Band concert to end “global warming” and promoting a new Ben & Jerry’s flavor. Both groups also belong to the Safe Energy Communication Council (SECC), which opposes nuclear power.

Humane Society of the United States Both the Humane Society of the United States and the Union of Concerned Scientists belong to the Keep Antibiotics Working coalition, which seeks to eliminate the use of antibiotics on farm animals through a sustained scare campaign. They also both belonged to the Foodspeak coalition, run by the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Members attempted to avoid liability for false claims against food companies by overturning and evading food disparagement laws.

Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy has worked with the Union of Concerned Scientists on many occasions, including an attempt to force Bayer to withdraw its antibiotic Baytril from the market, and a series of FDA petitions demanding more severe review processes for genetically enhanced foods.

Institute for Social Ecology The Institute for Social Ecology belongs to the Genetic Engineering Action Network, along with the Union of Concerned Scientists, Greenpeace, and any number of neo-Luddites who oppose biotech foods.

Mothers for Natural Law Besides the Union of Concerned Scientists, Mothers for Natural Law stands out as the most absurdly named member of the Genetic Engineering Action Network. When “concerned scientists” team up with “mothers for” something, you know you’re dealing with some serious busybodies.

Natural Resources Defense Council The Union of Concerned Scientists often brags about its cooperation with other environmental groups. Among the organizations with which UCS works closely, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) stands at the top of the list. UCS and NRDC regularly co-host press conferences, co-sign petitions, and co-author reports. Both groups are members of the Keep Antibiotics Working coalition and the Save our Environment Coalition.

Organic Consumers Association Like the Union of Concerned Scientists, the Organic Consumer’s Association is a member of the Genetic Engineering Action Network. It also joined UCS in legal action aimed at forcing the FDA to apply ever-more-rigid restrictions on biotech foods.

Public Health Advocacy Institute Public Health Advocacy Institute chairman Anthony Robbins signed a much-hyped petition from the Union of Concerned Scientists in 2004 alleging political manipulation of science by the Bush White House.

Sierra Club In 1999 the Sierra Club teamed with Union of Concerned Scientists to petition the EPA for strict regulation of an innovative new biotech corn that produced its own insecticide. Using a single piece of junk science, the groups initiated a scare campaign, spreading the rumor that the corn posed risks to Monarch butterfly populations -- a claim which was later proven to be untrue. The two groups are also members of the misnamed "Consumer's Choice Council," a who's-who of radical green organizations seeking to derail the progress of biotechnology. In 2002 the Sierra Club produced a report intended to scare the public about the supposed "dangers" of administering antibiotics to chickens, heavily citing flawed statistics and misinformation produced by the Union of Concerned Scientists.

Waterkeeper Alliance Robert F. Kennedy, Jr’s Waterkeeper Alliance hopes to completely end America’s pork industry. So it’s no surprise that the group has joined with the Union of Concerned Scientists and others in the “Keep Antibiotics Working” campaign, which aims to restrict farmers’ use of antibiotics in animals.

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