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The upcoming November ballot initiative Prop. 37, or the California Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act, holds huge implications for our national food system. If passed, Prop. 37 will require producers to label foods that contain genetically modified organisms or GMO’s. California would be the first state in the country to require such labeling and familiar grocery items such as tofu, cereals, sodas, soymilk, baby formula and more would indicate whether they contain GMO’s. The CA State Attorney General estimates 40-70 percent of food products sold in CA grocery stores contain genetically modified ingredients. More than 40 countries already label genetically engineered foods, including the EU., Japan, Brazil, and Mexico. A few countries have outright bans on their use.
GMO’s are plants or animals that have had their DNA artificially altered in a laboratory by genes from other plants, animals, viruses, or bacteria in order to produce a foreign compound in that food. Resistance to herbicides is a trait commonly engineered into GMO crops like corn and soy. Herbicide resistant crops make it easy for growers to broadcast herbicides over their fields to control weed pressure while leaving their crop unharmed. It is estimated that their are now over 170 million acres of GE corn, soy, and cotton planted in the US. Vast increases in herbicide use, the creation of “super weeds” – or weeds that have mutated to become resistant to herbicides, and the loss of habitat that sustains monarch butterflies are some of the known consequences of GMO production. The effect of GMO’s on our health is unknown. The U. S. Food and Drug Administration does not require safety studies for genetically modified crops and there have been no long-term studies conducted on the safety of genetically engineered foods on humans.
Grassroots organizing garnered the signatures required to put Prop. 37 on the ballot. CA Right To Know is heading up a campaign to get the word out to CA voters and have raised $3 million to do so. Personal contributions and contributions from over 621 organizations and businesses, including Lundberg Family Farms and Organic Valley, are funding the campaign. A recent survey indicated that three times as many registered voters support Prop. 37 as oppose it. This is great news for organic supporters everywhere.
However, the opposition group, No on Proposition 37, has garnered the financial support of corporations such as Monsanto, DuPont, Coca-Cola Co., Nestle, Kellogg Co. and many others with contributions totaling $25 million. A high-dollar major advertising and media campaign is anticipated from the No on Proposition 37 group.
Frog Hollow Farm has endorsed the CA Right To Know campaign and encourages you, our members to get involved in the campaign. If proposition 37 passes, it is likely that other States will take similar steps to require labeling which could in turn provide a sea change in how GMO’s are regulated in the U.S. Visit www.carighttoknow.org for a list of ways you can get involved in the campaign and stay tuned for posts on the FHF Twitter feed and Facebook page for relevant information and articles.
