Yes! Label Genetically Modified Food

by guest author Jean Saffell

As you all know, I [Jean Saffell] support the labeling of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) used in foods. In November, Californians will get a chance to vote on the issue with Proposition 37, the ballot initiative to label genetically engineered foods.

This article outlines what is at stake:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2099/12/31/california-gmo-labeling.aspx

I’d like to point out that 50 other countries do require labeling of Genetically Modified Foods. The companies currently spending millions to oppose labeling in California already label their products sold in other countries. So why do they oppose labeling products for their USA market?

Consumers are under the illusion that food products are tested for safety before they are sold to us. They aren’t. Genetically modified foods are only tested within the companies that created them, and not by third party independent labs. The FDA does no testing, simply accepting the companies word for it that ‘their’ product is safe. Are they safe?

We really don’t know and there is no way to tell because there is no labeling required on GMO foods in the USA.

Note: foods labeled USDA Organic are certified to be free of GMO’s. But there are a lot of food crops that are not ‘organically certified’ that are non-GMO and consumers should have the right to know which products are using GMO and which are non-GMO ingredients. It’s your right to know what you are buying, just like companies should have told you whether that expensive beef you bought was ground up meat or pink slime.

So who’s really in charge of GE Food Safety? Apparently no one.

Monsanto ( a major GMO producer) says, “Monsanto should not have to vouchsafe the safety of biotech food. Our interest is in selling as much of it as possible. Assuring its safety is the F.D.A.’s job” – Philip Angell, Monsanto’s director of corporate communications. “Playing God in the Garden” New York Times Magazine.

The FDA has not conducted a single independent test of any genetically engineered product. Not even one test. The agency simply accepts the testing completed and provided by the biotechnology corporations like Monsanto. The FDA makes this very clear, stating, “Ultimately, it is the food producer who is responsible for assuring safety” – FDA, “Statement of Policy: Foods Derived from New Plant Varieties” (GMO Policy), Federal Register, Vol. 57, No. 104, p. 229

If neither the food producer or the FDA is actually testing for long-term food safety, isn’t at least labeling GMO foods a good idea so the consumer who eats it knows it? Corporations don’t think we have a right to know, but are they concerned about our health or their bottom line? They label GMO’s for other countries, why not here?

There will be a LOT of advertising between now and November against labeling, funded by big corporations who are already labeling in other countries. Please don’t be fooled. These companies are not concerned about our health, our planet or feeding the poor. They are concerned with keeping what they feed us a secret. In their opinion, you don’t need to know. Do you?

How you vote on Prop 37 this November may have more direct impact on your day to day life than how you vote for president.

Claim your ‘right to know’ and vote YES on Proposition 37, and get our foods labeled!

Pass it along, please,

Check out Jean’s web site too: http://www.norcalglutenfree.com/

A great resource for us gluten sensitive folks.

Jean Saffell

http://www.norcalglutenfree.com/