You like knowing what exactly you're eating, right? And what you're feeding your kids? I do. I am one of those parents who reads food labels and does as much from-scratch cooking as I possibly can. What can I say? I'm not into denial. And I really hate it when someone tries to hide information from me. That's why I'm so steamed over the big food fight raging in California.
In November, Californians will be voting on whether or not to make it mandatory to label foods with genetically modified organisms, or GMOs. It's called Prop 37, Right to Know, and if it passes, labeling GMO foods could go eventually national. At last!
But opponents to Prop 37 are spending millions of dollars to keep you in the dark, longer. Why the hell would they do that?
A number of large food-related corporations are fighting the bill, and to date they've reportedly raised $25 million to fight the proposition. TWENTY FIVE MILLION DOLLARS to keep Californians in the dark about their food. And if you think that's ballsy, wait until you hear their arguments against labeling GMOs. They sound like Obi-Wan Kenobi trying to front his way past the Storm Troopers. The argument goes something like this:
People: We want foods with GMOs to be labeled!
Big Food: You don't need labels. GMOs are perfectly safe.
People: So why can't we just label them, then? What are you afraid of? Huh big guy?!?
Big Food: ... Um ... (Jedi hand wave) You don't need labels. GMOs are perfectly safe.
Opponents to Prop 37 are afraid that GMO labels will look like "warning" labels that scare people away from their foods. Or maybe they're scared that once we find out how many of our foods contain GMOs (practically anything non-organic with soybeans or corn, which is nearly all of our processed food) we will freak out and there will be a food revolt. OMG, GMOs? Now we're going to have to CHANGE THINGS!
What kind of reason is that? They don't want us to know what's in our food because they're afraid it will piss us off? Way to sound like a paranoid husband who's trying to keep cheating on his wife without getting caught! This is about choice and information. And all the fancy talk around this issue about "threatening" labels and perception is just bullshit. We want choices, and we want as much information as we can get to make those choices.
And then there's this other "against" argument that labeling GMO foods would be too costly. ORLLY? Let's all join hands together and yell a loud, resounding BULLSHIT on that one. We already put labels on food. So shut it, whiners. I want some GMO labeling up around heah. Yesterday.
DURR! Now I'm all mad. Why would you want to make so many moms mad? Just label. LabelLabelLabelLabel. Just do what I say, food companies. Because I said so.
Are you for or against labeling foods with GMOs?
Image via Right2KnowGMO/Flickr
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Comments 6
I would like to see more lables on things too
I'd be ok with the labels, too. I think they'd be surprised at how many people, honestly, just didn't care. They'll still buy the GMOs.
Will they label seeds, as well? Because you know that a lot of the seeds that you buy to plant so you have "organic" and "pure" and "non-GMO" foods are actually hybrids, right? The only way to get completely true and pure foods, even out of your own garden, is to use Heirloom Seeds. And I don't even know if THOSE are pure.
I guess the questions is... what constitutes "Genetically Modified"? and What is considered just fine?