I don’t know how well-versed you guys are when it comes to organic foods, GMOs, high fructose corn syrup, etc. All that mumbo jumbo that some people pay attention to and some don’t. I really didn’t pay any attention to it until after my son was born, as you know from yesterday’s post. But now these issues are at the forefront of my every thought and are apparent every time I shop for food.
I told you yesterday that I would like to keep you in the loop about current happenings in regards to the food industry. The biggest issue, right now, is Proposition 37 in California. Proposition 37 is the mandatory labeling of genetically engineered food. Here’s a little more information, from Ballot-Pedia:
Proposition 37, a Mandatory Labeling of Genetically Engineered Food Initiative, is on theNovember 6, 2012 ballot
in California
as an initiated state statute.
If Proposition 37 is approved by voters, it will:
- Require labeling on raw or processed food offered for sale to consumers if the food is made from plants or animals with genetic material changed in specified ways.
- Prohibit labeling or advertising such food as “natural.”
- Exempt from this requirement foods that are “certified organic; unintentionally produced with genetically engineered material; made from animals fed or injected with genetically engineered material but not genetically engineered themselves; processed with or containing only small amounts of genetically engineered ingredients; administered for treatment of medical conditions; sold for immediate consumption such as in a restaurant; or alcoholic beverages.”
James Wheaton, who filed the ballot language for the initiative, refers to it as “The California Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act.”
More from Ballot-Pedia can be found here.
As with every proposition, levy, or issue on any ballot, Prop 37 in California is hotly debated and has validity on both sides.
The “Right to Know” campaign, in favor of labeling, claims that:
Proposition 37 is a common-sense November ballot measure that will help consumers make informed choices about the food they eat. Written with broad input from food groups, industry, science, legal and health experts Prop. 37 (The California Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act) requires clear labels letting consumers know if foods are genetically modified.
(source: http://www.carighttoknow.org/facts)
On the other hand, “No on 37” says:
Proposition 37 would ban the sale of tens of thousands of perfectly-safe, common grocery products only in California unless they are specially repackaged, relabeled or made with higher cost ingredients. Prop 37 is a deceptive, deeply flawed food labeling scheme that would add more government bureaucracy and taxpayer costs, create new frivolous lawsuits, and increase food costs by billions — without providing any health or safety benefits. That’s why Prop 37 is opposed by a broad coalition of family farmers, scientists, doctors, business, labor, taxpayers and consumers.
(source: http://www.noprop37.com/facts/)
So who’s right? Well, that’s up to California voters to decide come November 6.
If you’re asking my humble opinion, which I hope you are, I am of the firm belief that as Americans, we have an inherent expectation of being informed and of cognizant ability to make decisions for our own person. Genetic engineering has slipped quietly and dangerously into almost every facet of the food production system in the United States over the last decade. Almost every item in a typical grocery store contains at least one, if not many, genetically modified ingredient.
Am I a sucker for a Twinkie? Sure. Do I have an insatiable sweet tooth and would rather sit in a vat of melted chocolate than eat carrots and celery? You bet. (That really sounds quite delicious…) But to be completely truthful, I would rather have the choice to knowingly consume these sweets, laden with genetically modified ingredients and high fructose corn syrup. What is that anyway? Why can’t we just use sugar?! Oh wait… I know the answer to that one. It’s the third word.
Corn.
(Let’s save that post for another day, shall we?)
My point is, I love eating junk food. Who doesn’t? By the obesity and type 2 diabetes statistics, not many would object. But the point is, we should have the choice to know what we are eating. That’s all Proposition 37 is trying to do. Prop 37 is about empowering the consumer. We shouldn’t be slaves to the mega corps in America that ultimately control everything we eat. That’s just not fair. And un-American.
I hope that California passes Prop 37. And I hope that a resounding “yes on 37” will pave the way for more labeling requirements across the U.S. Did you know that 50 other countries, including Russia and China, already require food labeling of GMOs?
No one wants to put the mega corps out of business. That’s not the point here. The point is to be environmentally aware, humanely responsible, and to be the best we can be. Those rules apply to individuals. Shouldn’t they apply to corporations and organizations, too?
If you’re interested in learning more, or have anything to include, about GMOs, Prop 37 or anything else regarding this issue, please leave your comment or question in the comment box below. I’m not claiming to be the holy grail of organic food or genetically modified organisms, but I know a little bit, and I’m always interested in learning more.
Talk to you soon. In the meantime, be healthy.
beef products inccorncorporationsenvironmentfarmfree speechfreedomgenetically modified organismGMOsgrocery storehealthhealthyhealthy foodmonsantoorganicproducevegetablesvegetarian
