Vote YES on Your Health

Back in May, I wrote a blog post called Genetically Modified Nonsense about efforts to require labeling of genetically engineered (GE) foods – commonly referred to as Genetically Modified Organisms or GMO’s. I decided to revisit the issue as there is an important ballot initiative in California on this very topic which will be decided on November 6^th – along with the minor issue of who will be President of the United States.


I feel an obligation to keep all of my readers informed about food policy in general, but I do want to send a special shout out to all my California peeps! Having been born and raised in the Golden State, I know first-hand how difficult it is to wade through the numerous ballot propositions in Cali given all of the misleading ads on TV, radio and in the mail.  It can be even harder to decipher the confusing legal mumbo-jumbo. With this in mind, let’s get to the heart of the matter and see what really is at stake with Proposition 37.

Only Californians can actually vote on this important topic, but make no mistake - the outcome of this ballot measure will affect all of us. Before we get into the specifics of the proposition, let’s review some basic background.

Genetically engineered foods are organisms that have been created through application of transgenic, gene-splicing techniques that are part of biotechnology. More simply, they are “plants that have been manipulated by science.” 

Proponents of genetically engineered foods say they have figured out a way to feed the world affordably because the crops are no different than what you are already eating. They believe GMOs are truly a scientific breakthrough that increase crop yields and helps plants survive droughts and attacks from pests. Opponents of GMO's maintain that these crops are not natural in any way and blame genetically engineered crops for an acute increase in allergies and diseases sweeping across the world. They also say the studies touting GMO benefits are mixed at best and advocate for more investigation into GMO risks.

Unbeknownst to most Americans (who do not read the Real Skinny of course), some of the most popular GMO crops including corn and soybeans are staple ingredients in practically every type of packaged food. In fact, if you are not currently buying “100% USDA Certified Organic” then your pantry is already chock-full of GMO’s and it has been for quite some time.

If passed, Proposition 37 would require food makers to label products that have genetically engineered ingredients – thereby giving the consumers the ability to choose whether or not they want to stock their pantry with genetically modified foods.

As you can imagine, there is a lot of push-back from the food industry. Big farming groups and major food manufacturers like Kellogg’s, General Mills, Hormel and PepsiCo have joined forces with Monsanto – the world’s largest seed company that first introduced genetically engineered products to farmers more than 20 years ago.  Numerous biotech companies also oppose the ballot initiative. They maintain that Proposition 37 is unnecessary, will raise food prices, and will lead to frivolous lawsuits against retailers and food companies.

Proponents of Proposition 37 maintain that the opponents’ claims of potentially-higher food price are scare tactics and drastically inflated. They correctly assert that food makers are already mandated to label their products with items like nutritional values. Because of this, proponents argue that adding three more words should not be that costly. Proponents also contend that there is no incentive for lawsuits and accuse the opponents of Prop. 37 of trying to confuse the voters with misleading ads about exemptions included in the ballot measure. They reason that these exemptions for products with no ingredient labels like restaurant food and alcohol are just common sense.

I am pleased to report that despite being outspent eight-to-one, proponents of Proposition 37 appear to be holding their own. According to a recent LA Times poll, more than two-thirds of California voters support the proposition. I am not surprised by this level of support in spite of more than 40 million dollars being spent to defeat the measure. A super majority of Americans support the labeling of genetically engineered foods and more than half say they would choose non-GMO brands if labels gave them a choice.

And why shouldn’t we have a choice? All of us deserve to know what is in our food.  Even if you believe that genetically engineered foods will wipe out famine and world hunger, you should still want to make an educated choice at the grocery store.

As for me, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again… I do not want to be a science experiment. I understand that we need to find inexpensive ways to feed a growing world, but I don’t believe we know enough about the long-term effects of GMOs.  I believe our government owes it to us to let us choose what we are putting into our bodies.

The passage of Proposition 37 in California will bring all Americans one step closer to being able to choose what is right for us and our families.

Remember the old saying – “As California goes, so goes the nation?”  While I generally find myself opposed to California's political leanings, when it comes to food policy, I am happy to have my native state leading the country.