Three Ways You Can Protect Non-GMO Food this Year
Chris Keefe, Non-GMO Project
No matter how you feel about genetic engineering, the odds are good you agree that we
have a right to know what’s in our food. Surveys regularly show that over 90% of
Americans feel genetically engineered foods should be labeled. Over sixty countries
around the world now protect their citizens with laws requiring labeling of genetically
modified organisms (GMOs) and their byproducts. Some have banned GMOs outright.
In the US and Canada, no such regulations exist, but with over 30 states now working to
require GMO labeling, and thousands of Non-GMO Project Verified products on the
market, defending our right to know what’s in our food, and making reliable non-GMO
choices is both easier and more important than ever.
When California's “Right to Know GMO” initiative, Proposition 37, came up for a vote
in Autumn 2012, biotech and big food interests spent $46 million on a campaign to defeat
it. Outspent more than five to one, the “right to know initiative” lost at the polls by a slim
few percentage points, leaving North America without any laws acknowledging our right
to make informed choices about whether we feed our families GMOs.
Though Prop 37 didn’t pass, the campaign has catalyzed a broad grassroots effort for
mandatory labeling, and a huge increase in public awareness. Washington State’s
Initiative 522 represents the next people’s initiative in support of mandatory labeling. To
quote Tracy Wolpert, CEO of Seattle’s Puget Consumer Coop, “There are few issues that
threaten so fundamentally our core values — including the consumer's right to an
informed choice — as the hidden presence of genetically engineered ingredients in our
food supply.”
Conceived by a Tacoma couple, Chris McManus and his wife Leah, I-522, like Prop. 37,
would establish mandatory labeling of GMO foods, providing consumers with the
freedom to choose Non-GMO, and protecting valuable export markets. The Label It
Washington team is working with key organizers from Prop. 37, to ensure that this
campaign effectively takes into account the lessons learned in California. The ballot
language is clearer on key points, and the campaign is off to a strong start.
Whether or not you call the Evergreen state home, you can help I-522 along the road to
victory with a donation, at <http://is.gd/LabelItWA>. Five dollars or five-hundred, every
little bit helps.
Though the Just Label It campaign helped over 1.2 million Americans petition the FDA
for meaningful labeling of GMOs in 2012, there has been no substantive progress at the
federal level. The Label it Washington team is just one of many groups working to
advance mandatory labeling legislation state by state. Campaigns always need
volunteers, and in states like Vermont, and Connecticut, where legislators are working to
forward bills, public comment is invaluable.
Visit < http://is.gd/mandatorylabeling>, to see what’s happening in your state, and lend
a hand!
It can be easy to get lost in the hustle and bustle, so while you’re busy doing all this good,
remember to pause now and then to share a good meal with your friends and family. The
Non-GMO Project has Verified nearly 8,000 Non-GMO products to its rigorous standard,
so you can be sure that the corn in your tortillas, the yogurt in your raita, or the pork in
your pork chop is good, clean fun. We only vote once a year at the ballot box, but we
vote every day with our forks, and choosing non-GMO Project Verified at the store sends
a clear message to manufacturers about what you want in your pantry.