CA Prop 37: Label genetically engineered foods

UPDATE: Unfortunately, Proposition 37 — the California Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act — was was narrowly defeated at the polls. But the battle to label GE food continues, at local, state and national levels. Stay tuned for how to get engaged!

Proposition 37

This ballot initiative would requir food containing genetically engineered (GE) ingredients to be labeled. Plain and simple.

Polls show that more than 90% of voters want to know if their food is genetically modified. Yet pesticide and GE seed corporations like Monsanto have consistently blocked all state and federal GE labeling efforts and are now pulling out all the stops to block the California initiative.

Why the major push against a simple labeling law? Monsanto and company are afraid that if the public knew just how much of the non-organic food on grocery store shelves already has GE ingredients, they would lose marketshare.

But the fact is, we have a right to know what we're eating, and how our food is grown. Pledge to vote YES on Prop 37, and see our action box below to find out what else you can do to help!

GE food is . . . everywhere

Many of the foods we eat and feed our children — up to 80% — include genetically engineered ingredients. Without a label, we have no way to make informed choices about what we buy and eat.

Food labels already show nutrition, allergy  and other information consumers want to know. Prop 37 would simply add information telling us if food is produced using genetic engineering — the process of modifying food in a laboratory by adding DNA from other plants, animals, bacteria or viruses.

Much of the rest of the world — including Japan, Australia, China and the European Union — already requires GE foods to be clearly labeled. But in the U.S., companies like Monsanto and DuPont continue to enjoy unfettered and unlabeled access to the market.

More GE crops = more pesticides

For too long, pesticide and GE seed corporations have exerted undue influence on our food system while making promises on which they fail to deliver. GE crops require more pesticide use — not less as promised — and are the growth engines of the pesticide industry’s sales and marketing strategy.In the first 13 years of commercial use, GE crops increased pesticide use by over 300 million pounds.

Virtually 100 percent of GE crops on the market are engineered to either contain a pesticide or withstand repeated applications of herbicides. Today, as much as 85% of corn and a majority of soy are genetically engineered.

In the first 13 years of commercial use these crops increased pesticide use by over 300 million pounds. And now there are more GE crops in the pipeline. USDA is currently reviewing applications for 12 new GE seeds, among them 2,4-D-resistant corn and soy.

With GE crops driving up pesticide use, Californians — especially farmworkers and communities in the Central Valley — bear the burden of increased health risk from exposures in air, water and on food.