Help keep us strong

When two other scientists and I founded the Center for Science in the Public Interest in 1971, little did I think that it would survive for three decades or that it would become the vigorous organization it is today. With some 800,000 subscribers to our Nutrition Action Healthletter--including more than 100,000 who provide financial support above the basic subscription fee--CSPI has become the leading advocate for safe, healthy eating.

Over the years, CSPI's scientists, lawyers, and researchers have been working for--and winning--important health victories for you and other consumers. CSPI's efforts have been critical to getting killer sulfites banned from salads; obtaining clear nutrition labels on packaged foods; persuading companies to remove cholesterol-raising tropical oils from many products; eliminating scores of deceptive advertisements; pressuring companies to offer healthier foods in supermarkets; revealing the calories, saturated fat, and sodium, in popular restaurant foods; and reducing levels of germs in meat and poultry.

Our latest major victory: getting the Food and Drug Administration to require that manufacturers include the amount of artery-clogging trans fats on Nutrition Facts labels. The labeling isn't perfect (the amount of trans fat should be included with saturated fat in a combined Daily Value), but it's an important step forward ... and it will save thousands of lives.

Just as I never imagined that CSP1 would become so influential, I am ever mindful of its legacy and the need to ensure that its programs and its Nutrition Action Healthletter educate and advocate far into the future.

So as we approach the end of the year, please consider making a gift of cash or stock to CSPI (which also lets you take advantage of the tax benefits). Your financial support is the lifeblood of our work--we don't accept any funding from government or industry.

Another way to support CSPI is by making a bequest through your will. It is a powerful and thoughtful way to share with future generations your commitment to promoting good nutrition and safer food. A bequest helps CSPI create a base of support for our programs, and that enables us to manage unforeseen challenges, take advantage of new opportunities, and mount long-term campaigns (like the 10-year battle over trans-fat labeling).

By making a contribution of bequest this year, you will be helping to ensure a safer, more nutritious food supply, both today and in the years to come. And you will be helping to ensure that, from farm to market to table, CSPI will be there working harder and smarter in your interest,

Michael F. Jacobson, PH.D.

Executive Director

Center for Science in the Public Interest

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COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning