COMMONS MAGAZINE

Posted
September 19, 2012

Monsanto Goes All Out to Keep GMOs a Secret Ingredient in Our Food

Polls show California voters favor labeling GMOs, but agribusiness dumps millions to defeat labeling in November election

Late last Friday biotech chemical and seed giant Monsanto doubled-down on their bet against American’s farmers and citizens.

In a desperate bid to keep Americans in the dark about what they’re eating, Monsanto just funneled another $2.9 million dollars to defeat California’s Prop 37 to label genetically engineered foods. This comes on top of their $4.2 million dollar pledge only weeks ago and brings Monsanto’s combined total to more than $7.1 million dollars! That’s a huge pile of cash and it’s dedicated to only one thing – denying you the Right to Know what’s in your food.

Already giant pesticide and big food companies have donated more than $32 million to defeat Yes on 37 to label GMOs in California.

The good news is that we have a passionate grassroots army of farmers, moms, dads, scientists and everyday citizens who are dedicated more than ever before to defeating Goliath for our health and for our future.

Already, Monsanto, DuPont, Coke, Pepsi and Nestle are running deceptive and misleading ads on the air in California. The problem is, the opposition knows that lying and deception works. After all, they did it for decades, whether it was covering up the harm to human health of cigarettes, Agent Orange or DDT.

In the past year alone 19 states have attempted to pass GMO labeling laws, but each time Monsanto and biotech lobbyists have threatened to sue. In Washington DC, both Republicans and Democrats have voted against labeling genetically engineered foods in equal numbers and the Obama administration has refused to act, despite a campaign promise the President made while on the campaign trail in 2007.

On November 6th, California could be the first state in the country to allow labeling of genetically engineered foods, creating a wave across the country to achieve this right for the entire nation. California’s action alone could make a difference, since the state represents 12 percent of the U.S. population. Many food companies will not make separate labels for California.

A growing number of studies have shown that there are serious environmental and health issues that relate to GMOs and their patented seed technology. Even as the U.S. government continues to rubberstamp the approval of new GMO crops, countries around the world are banning or halting the import of GMO seeds into their country— most recently, France, India, Egypt and China, which are waking to the realities of this untested and unsafe technology.

In California, all we’re asking for is a simple label to appear on a package to inform consumers if their food contains GMO ingredients — a right that citizens in 50 countries already have.

Food Democracy Now, an Iowa-based organization dedicated to creating a sustainable foodsystem, is seeking donations to help pass the GMO labeling ballot measure in California. You can contribute here .