Yes on Prop. 37

EDITOR:

A critical time in the health of the American people-has arrived. Are you willing to let big chemical companies continue to manipulate the political process to keep you from knowing that the food you eat has been genetically altered? That the foreign bacteria, viruses, antibiotic-resistant genes and synthetic DNA contaminating your food — that have nothing to do with your health and everything to do with increasing their profits — continue unabated? That over 50 countries in Europe have mandatory labeling of GMOs in their food and are dumbfounded that we don’t?

Prop. 37 — the right to know if our food contains GMOs {genetically modified organisms) is on the ballot, and the outcome is being watched by the rest of the world. Passing this initiative will impact everyone, from the growers to the manufacturers to the agrichemical giants, and cause them to reveal exactly what’s been synthetically engineered into our food.

The stakes are huge, and the corporations don’t like it. A yes vote on Prop. 37 means they would have to label their food products if they contained GMOs. Food manufacturers have admitted that it may as well be a national law because they won’t want to put “this product contains GMOs” on their label just for California. Instead, they will reformulate their products and remove them. So in effect we would be helping out the entire nation by passing this initiative, not just our state.

Why all the resistance to labeling GMO foods? If genetically modified organisms are as safe as they claim, then why are the big corporations so adamant about not labeling them? Because they aren’t safe. A recently published French study revealed that foods containing pesticides and other GMO products caused tumors, organ damage and premature death in rats fed amounts considered to be “safe” in the U.S.

And who is guaranteeing the safety of genetically modified organisms? No one. Not Monsanto, not Dow, not the FDA, not even the USDA. GMOs have never been proven safe. The FDA conducts no independent testing of GMOs. There’s no one guarding us against the long-term effects they have on our health.

That is why one California woman, Pamm Larry, a Chico resident, became alarmed about the unknowns of genetically altered food. For the past 1-5 years the biotech industry and the FDA have denied us the basic right to know which foods contain GMOs and which don’t. She was determined to make a difference. To get the initiative on the ballot she needed to get over 900,000 signatures. With the help of thousands of volunteers it happened, an unprecedented true grassroots movement that hadn’t been seen in over 20 years. It has excited many people to feel that this truly is a chance to prove that we can fight back and win our health freedom.

Polls have shown that over 90 percent of American consumers want the right to know if their food contains GMOs, and the big corporations are scared. They are spending millions to mislead you, to scare you into thinking that it will be a big cost to the consumer to change the labeling, and that all sorts of lawsuits will occur and drive the small farmer out of business.

They’re all lies. Manufacturers change their labeling allthe time. They had to when they had to list trans fats, nutritional requirements, or if the food was processed in a factory that also processed wheat, soy or other products. There was no hue and cry when that became a requirement. It was business as usual. The big chemical giants claim that it will cost each family $400 a year if this passes. The true cost is 73 cents per family. We already have an entire generation of people raised on GMO foods who suffer from allergies, obesity, cancer, and autoimmune diseases. How much longer are we going to allow these chemical companies to treat us like lab rats?

Voting Yes on Prop. 37 means that the Real Food movement is alive and getting stronger, and that small farmers and growers who work hard to keep their products organic and healthy for you will stand out in stark contrast to contaminated GMO foods. That means you can make an informed choice. The health of your loved ones, friends, and even people you will never meet will be impacted by your vote on Nov. 6.

You have a chance to make a real difference in the lives of untold millions, by making California the first state to require that GMO foods be labeled, and to let the world know you are serious about stopping the tyranny of chemical corporations contaminating your food. Vote Yes on Prop. 37.

PERCY MCMANUS
Rescue