Get ready for the most important food fight yet. Proposition 37 is the California Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act which would require foods with genetically modified organisms to be labeled. Monsanto and friends have already raised millions to defeat this bill. We need to step up to the plate and help!
The outcome of this vote will determine whether the citizens of the United States will have the opportunity to choose between genetically engineered and non-genetically engineered food through the enactment of laws requiring mandatory labeling of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Almost 50 other countries around the world grant this right to their citizens.
California is the tipping point
The vote takes place in California this November and would require food manufacturers to label any genetically modified foods or ingredients in packaged foods in a clear and conspicuous manner. This would apply to raw agricultural commodities as well as processed and packaged foods.
California has the eighth largest economy in the world, so passing a mandatory labeling law for genetically engineered foods in California can have a huge effect and will set a precedent for other states.
The food industry will not want to have different labels for different states as this would be a labeling nightmare for them. To avoid this, many may decide not to use any genetically modified ingredients since they will no longer be able to disguise GM ingredients with words like “natural” or “all natural.”
Marketing research has shown that when consumers know there are genetically modified ingredients in a product they will not buy it. Those companies still using GM ingredients will have a hard time selling their products once they are properly labeled.
You know all the companies who oppose Prop 37
It will take an enormous grassroots effort to defeat the opposition. Those in favor of the genetic engineering of food have been contributing millions of dollars in an intense advertising and propaganda campaign.
Those against Prop 37 are familiar household names such as, ConAgra Foods, J.M. Smucker, Hormel Foods, Kellogg Co., Coca-Cola North America and PepsiCo, Jiffy Pop, Swiss Miss, and dozens more, as well as large contributions from biotech firms such as Monsanto, Dow, and DuPont.
According to the Grocery Manufacturers Association, 75% of all processed foods contain genetically modified ingredients. According to the USDA, 94% of all soy, over 90% of sugar beets and canola and 88% of corn is now grown using genetically modified seeds.
The Grocery Manufacturers Association is heading the fight
The Grocery Manufacturers Association (a multi-billion dollar trade association) has contributed $375,000 to the campaign that opposes Prop 37. They claim that mandatory labeling is unnecessary because GM foods are no different from non-GM foods. They are concerned that it would confuse consumers.
I guess they think consumers are idiots and cannot see through their propaganda.
The GMA represents America’s $1.2 trillion Big Food industry, which includes supermarket chains, Monsanto and other biotech companies, animal drug companies, multinational food manufacturers, and junk food restaurants. All of these players rely on the use of dangerous chemicals, pesticides, animal drugs, and GMOs to produce cheap, tainted food.
The president of the GMA has stated that defeating Prop 37 is, “the single highest priority for GMA this year.”
We can win
A group of Right to Know public interest organizations and organic companies pledged to match the first million dollars raised in the nationwide Drop the Money Bomb on Monsanto Campaign. We achieved that back in June. Now the issue is on the ballot for November.
These Right to Know groups include:
- The Organic Consumers Association
- Mercola.com
- Food Democracy Now
- Nature’s Path
- Lundberg Family Farms
- Eden Foods
- The Organic Consumers Fund
- Institute For Responsible Technology
We can win
Hundreds of thousands of people making small donations can help the coalition behind this initiative run a dynamic, effective campaign to bring down Monsanto and the rest of the Biotech Bullies.
So please, join us, and make a donation right now!
Donate to California Right to Know – Tax deductible
Donate to the Institute for Responsible Technology – Tax deductible (Mercola.com will match dollar for dollar!)
Donate to Organic Consumers Association – Tax deductible