A group of some 30 top chefs from all across the United States has appealed to the WTO to leave food-labeling programs intact so they will be able to assure themselves and their customers that the food they serve is both healthy to eat and has been produced without undue harm to the environment or wildlife habitat.

The group includes Seattle chefs Matt Costello (Dahlia Lounge), Greg Atkinson (Canlis), and Jason Wilson (Stars Bar & Dining), plus Alice Waters of Chez Panisse in Berkeley (where Bill and Hillary have been known to dine occasionally and only fresh organic foods are served) and Nora Pouillon of Nora in Washington, D.C., (who led the campaign to enlist chefs in a boycott of Atlantic swordfish).

In a statement to be released December 1, they point to all the programs threatened with interference from the WTO, including

· A program that certifies that shrimp have been caught without harming sea turtles.

· A similar way to assure that tuna offered on menus is "dolphin-safe."

· On behalf of European chefs, an assurance that meat is free of growth hormone and other synthetic ingredients.

· A system of labeling foodstuffs that carry genetically modified organisms so consumers and chefs can decide for themselves whether they choose to serve and eat it.

· The labeling of organic foods as organic.

The chefs' statement was released by the Sea Turtle Restoration Project.

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