Protesters at Sparta rally march to support organic foods
Posted: May 24, 2015 12:09 AM EST Updated: May 24, 2015 12:09 AM EST
By GREG WATRY
gwatry@njherald.com
SPARTA — Outside the Sparta Municipal Building, the sound of rhythmic bongo drums permeated the atmosphere.
A woman spun a hula hoop around her waist. In the grass, a group of children, some dressed as bumblebees and
monarch butterflies, chased bubbles.
Around 100 people gathered Saturday for the Food Matters march in solidarity with the worldwide March Against
Monsanto, which spanned six continents, 48 countries and 421 cities, according to a press release from March Against
Monsanto.
“We're here today because Sussex County is the bread basket of New Jersey,” said Doug O'Malley, the director of the
advocacy organization Environment New Jersey, in a speech prior to the march. “We need to make sure that our local
food movement is as pure and organic as can be.”
O'Malley was joined on the municipal building's steps by his toddler daughter.
“We think a lot about what we're giving to her. We make sure that all the food we buy comes from farmers we know.
We make sure the milk we buy comes from farmers we know. We make sure that the vegetables we buy are not
sprayed.”
The event started around noon with attendees gathering near the municipal building. A soundtrack of protest tunes
sounded through a loudspeaker. Before the speakers took to the steps, a heavy metal-like song with the lyrics “We
must stop Monsanto” played.
Monsanto, a company that produces seeds and herbicides, is based in St. Louis, and its products have been broadly
described as genetically modified organisms, or GMOs.
“Today is about changing that direction, putting a new face on food,” said speaker Jim Walsh, the Mid-Atlantic
region director of Food & Water Watch. “One that puts our farmers above the interests of companies like Monsanto.
One that helps make food local and regional, and not global.”
“Today is about saying no to Monsanto.”
“No Monsanto,” attendees chanted in response.
Marchers bore signs with phrases such as “I am not a science experiment,” “Keep your genes out of our greens” and
“Support our local food system.” One woman passed out GMO-free cabbage seeds and another passed out materials
on bee-friendly gardening.
The whole point is to protect the sovereignty of food, said Wendie Goetz, one of the organizers of the event. It's a
chance to step up against the threats that affect water, soil and food, she said.
“We're trying to make this a fun event despite the serious content,” added Erin Shroll, the event's other organizer.
That was achieved by encouraging participants to dress up.
One woman was dressed as a one-eyed monstrosity with tentacle-like vines for hands. She said she was dressed as a
GMO.
In a statement to the New Jersey Herald, Monsanto spokesperson Charla Marie Lord wrote: “The 22,000 people of
Monsanto are committed to having an open dialogue about food and agriculture — we're proud of the work we do,
and we're eager for people to know more about us. We're also proud of our collaboration with farmers and partnering
organizations that help make a more balanced meal accessible for everyone.
“We know people have different points of view on these topics, and it's important that they're able to express and
share them,” the statement reads.
Shroll and Goetz said that one of the issues the marchers were advocating for is accurate food labeling, and the right
of consumers to know exactly what it is they're putting into their bodies.
Literature handed out from Food & Water Watch sought to raise awareness about the Safe and Accurate Food
Labeling Act, known by critics as the “Denying Americans the Right to Know Act” or DARK Act.
According to Food & Water Watch, “The bill would make voluntary labeling for GMO foods the national standard
and strip away consumers' right to know by blocking all state efforts to require labeling of GMO foods.”
The march kicked off around 1:30 p.m. Lt. John Paul Beebe, of the Sparta Police Department, said the street from the
municipal building to Sparta Avenue would be closed for the march. The march ended at Dykstra Park, located
behind the Sparta Public Library.
The group also collected donations for the Sparta food pantry. As Goetz said, “We wanted to come with offerings for
the town that was hosting us.”
Greg Watry also can be contacted on Twitter: @GregWatryNJH or by phone: 973-383-1184.