Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Organic Consumers Association Initiative – Label GMOs 2012

Organic Consumers' best opportunity for a strategic victory against Monsanto in 2012 is the California Ballot Initiative for mandatory labeling of genetically engineered foods.
SACRAMENTO, CA - Nov. 10th, 2011, a wide-ranging coalition of consumer, public health and environmental organizations, food companies, and individuals submitted the California Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act to the State Attorney General. The initiative requires genetically engineered foods (also known as Genetically Modified Organisms, or GMOs) and foods containing GMO ingredients to be clearly labeled, similar to current labels with other nutritional information.
A genetically engineered food is usually a plant or animal that has had its DNA altered at the molecular level in a lab to include genes that produce foreign compounds from other plants, animals, viruses, or bacteria. This genetic alteration is not found in nature and cannot occur naturally.  Labeling GMO’s will allow health professionals to track any potential adverse health impacts of these foods. "Genetically engineering food can cause unintended consequences and because there have been no long term studies, we are unsure of how GMOs may affect our health."
Fifty countries including the European Union and Japan have laws mandating that genetically engineered foods be labeled, but the United States does not have such a requirement. Efforts to enact labeling laws in Congress and the California legislature have been blocked by big food and chemical company lobbyists. California voters are expected to have the chance to vote on the initiative in November 2012.
Do you shop at Trader Joe's?
Ask this California-based natural and organic food retailer to kick Monsanto out of their stores and join us in the fight for mandatory GMO labels! http: //www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_23157.cfm