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Friday, October 12th, 2012

Could Prop. 37 Kill Monsanto’s GM Seeds?

Author:     TOM PHILPOTT
Source:     Mother Jones
Publication Date:     Wed Oct. 10, 2012 3:00 AM PDT
 Link: Could Prop. 37 Kill Monsanto’s GM Seeds?
Stephan:   The thing that Monsanto and others can never seem to answer is: If GMO foods are so good for us, why aren't you promoting labeling? Why are you trying to suppress something you'd think you'd want to trumpet from the hills... if it is as healthful and life-affirming as you claim. Or is there more to the story. And of course there is. If you live in California please vote 'Yes' for Prop 37, and the rest of America will thank you.

You’d be forgiven for not noticing-unless you live in California, where you’ve likely been bombarded by geotargeted web ads and TV spots-but this election could spur a revolution in the way our food is made. Proposition 37 [1], a popular Golden State ballot initiative, would require the labeling of food containing genetically modified (GM) ingredients. The food and agriculture industries are spending millions to defeat it, and with good reason: As we’ve seen with auto emissions standards and workplace smoking bans, as California goes, so goes the nation.

At least 70 percent of processed food [2] in the United States contains GM ingredients. Eighty-eight percent of corn and 93 percent of soybeans grown domestically [3] are genetically modified. Soda and sweets are almost guaranteed to contain GM ingredients, either in the form of corn syrup or beet sugar. Canola and cottonseed oils also commonly come from GM crops. But if those stats make you want to run and examine the labels on the boxes and cans in your pantry, you’re out of luck. Unlike the European Union [4], the US government doesn’t require food manufacturers to disclose their use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

Californians appear ready to change that: An August […]

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