Prop 37 – California’s Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act
| July 17, 2012 | Posted by Carrie under food, Prop 37 |
There is so much confusion surrounding food and nutrition. What’s a ‘superfood’? Should you avoid certain food groups? Are artificial sweeteners bad? the list goes on and on.
I’ve become a huge advocate of reading food labels. I devour information about serving sizes, ingredients, macronutrients and everything else.
Then a new term pops up – GMO’s – Genetically Modified Organisms. I looked to my trusty food labels to let me know… except that information isn’t required to be on the label! How do you know if you are eating a food that has been genetically modified? The answer… you don’t.
The people behind CA Prop 37 have put together a ballot initiative to go straight to the voters. The initiative will require food manufacturers to label foods that contain GMO’s. The state legislature does not have the opportunity to let lobbyists have their say and shoot down this referendum as they have in the past.
Here is the full text of the initiative.
The healthy blogger community is rallying their support behind Prop. 37. Leah Segedie (one of the most influential mommy bloggers on the internet and the force behind Mamavation) wrote this about GMO’s:
“So what is a genetically engineered food? According to CA Right to Know (Prop. 37 in California), “a genetically engineered food (also known as genetically modified organism, or GMO) is a plant or meat product that has had its DNA artificially altered by genes from other plants, animals, viruses, or bacteria, to produce foreign compounds in that food. This type of genetic alteration is engineered in a laboratory, and is not found in nature.”
It’s estimated that 70% of our food on grocery shelves contains GMOs, compared to only 5% in Europe. The early 1990′s the FDA allowed all sorts of things into our food supply such as additives, preservatives, and GMOs. Since then we’ve had some significant changes to the health of our children. According to Healthy Child Healthy World these are stats about differences in illness in children since early 90s.
400% increase in food allergies
300% increase in asthma
400% increase in ADHD
1,500% increase in autism”
Some other interesting facts about GMO’s:
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this is a bipartisan issue – 89% of Republicans and 90% of Democrats support labeling of GMO’s
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A survey from the Mellman Group shows that only 1 in 4 Americans think that GMO’s are “basically safe”
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an example of a GMO is corn that has been modified to either produce its own pesticide or to withstand a high amount of pesticides (from the CARightToKnow.org website)
California has the chance to lead the nation in the labeling of GMO’s. As the nation’s most populous state as well as the nation’s leading agricultural state, what happens in November will have a far reaching affect on the rest of the country.
The battle lines have been drawn. The opposition to Prop 37 comprise the Coalition Against the Costly Food Labeling Proposition (CACFLP), whose members include the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA), Monsanto, BASF, Bayer, Dow and Syngenta, as well as several big food processors and supermarket chains. The opponents are expected to spend $60-$100m on a campaign to convince voters that Prop 37 will raise food prices, hurt farmers and even contribute to world hunger.
What can you do?
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Don’t believe the lobbyists. Do the research for yourself. Educate yourself on the benefits of full disclosure about what is in our food.Go to CARightToKnow.org and read everything you can.
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Read this article specifically about the myths and facts of the initiative.
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On August 10 (a fantastic day, BTW – it’s my birthday), there is going to be a live chat on Twitter from 7-8PM PDT to discuss and educate people about Proposition 37.
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Read more:
Health Risks of GMOs
Interview with ex-Monsanto employee and his concerns about GMOs
Thanks for the information. I’ll definitely be sharing! There’s definitely something wrong with our food standards70% of our food o contains GMOs, compared to only 5% in Europe!!
Katie @wishandwhimsy recently posted..Gym Minutes Analyzed.
I saw another piece of information saying that Hershey’s reformulates its products shipped to Europe to avoid GMO’s yet they don’t for US products. That’s just wrong.
Seriously!? So wrong!
Katie @wishandwhimsy recently posted..Gym Minutes Analyzed.
Hi Carrie,
This is something that has become near and dear to me over the past year. What can I do to help?
Jill – Thank you!! I’ll send your contact information over to the people organizing the online campaign. You should be added to the mailing list and you can see different ways that you can help. Thanks!
Very troubling info. for sure. There’s GOT to be a reason behind all the allergies, etc. we see today…
I totally agree. It’s amazing how much we’ve seen an increase in allergies and cancer over the past few decades. And people wonder what they can do about it? Here’s their chance.
I too read labels. Thanks for informative post. Yeah, I can’t believe how many people don’t know what they are eating. I bought this book a few years back called Your Right to Know, Genetic Engineering & the secret changes in your Food Supply. It’s a great book, written a few years ago.
this is the link:
http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/campaign/genetically-engineered-food/crops/other-resources/new-book-your-right-to-know/
Lisa recently posted..Shaved Cucumber Feta Salad
Thank you for the book recommendation. That sounds informative. And probably scary… I’m adding it to my ‘to read’ list.
Thanks for posting. I am also a Label GMO Evangelist. Keep up the good work! Yes on 37!
Debbie recently posted..Tofu Scramble: It’s What’s For Dinner (and Breakfast)
Great job getting involved. Yes on 37!
Wow, those facts are scary. It makes me want to start up a farm and grown 100% of my own food!
Jan recently posted..Puzzles
Seriously – I’m with you.
Great info! I said I’d help spread the word, too and it hasn’t happened yet… too much going on. But I’m passionate about this too!
Laura @ Mommy Run Fast recently posted..WIAW and a Larabar/Uber giveaway!
I’ve been noticing a lot of ‘all natural/organic’ type products that I buy already say “no GMO’s”, so that’s great to see.