No matter what state you live in, California’s Proposition 37 should be important to you. If you don’t know what that is let me explain. ( A full legal explanation is HERE). California has always been a leader in everything from energy to ecology. This Prop (the word is going to come up a zillion times in this post so I will be abbreviating from here on in) is backing a bill to require all foods containing Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO’s) as such. It is simply a labeling requirement. The proposition does not in anyway make the sale of these products illegal or restricted. There are currently 61 other countries that require labeling of genetically engineered products. The bill even has exemptions for retail sales made in restaurants. (One would think companies like Pepsi & Coke would support this prop but both are as much a part of the opposition as Monsanto, DuPont, BASF and Dow. See full list in the next paragraph.)
Seems harmless enough. After all, it is simply informing consumers of what is in a product so why is the current food (and chemical) industries spending $35,000,000 to defeat this measure? (For a full list of all those funding both sides of this proposition click HERE.) The reason is simple. As proven in the current list of countries which require labeling, when consumers are given the choice between products that have GMO’s and those that don’t have GMO’s, consumers overwhelmingly choose those with no or limited amounts of GMO’s. Additionally, while the main crops currently are corn and soybeans, the list of crops is growing daily.
What is essential to understand about the importance of this issue for non Californians is that this prop is really about much more than labeling. This prop is also about the creation of big chemical companies becoming two sides of the food industry. Currently the most popular weed killer is Monsanto’s Round-Out® pesticide. Unfortunately Round-Out® kills everything it is sprayed on. That is, until now. These chemical companies are now in the food production business, patenting Round-Out® resistant seeds and plants. Imagine that. They create poisons and then crops that resist those poisons. Just when the public is asking for less pesticides and herbicides on their food crops (the sale of natural and organic foods are increasing exponentially) these companies are creating more crops that resist the poisons that they create.
While Round-Out® is the most popular crop poison, all of the major chemical companies are getting into this closed circle of poisons and crops that resist these poisons. While Monsanto donated over $7,000,000 to the fight, DuPont has donated almost $5,000,000 to the effort. (Interestingly, DuPont has patented their own version of both the poison and the antidote.) Doesn't this concept bother you even a little bit? Remember, all these crops are patented so farmers will have no choice but to purchase seeds from them. What drives me crazy is that these are the same companies that support politicians that preach “family values.” Is there any greater family value then not poisoning our children?
We have already lost ? of our planets topsoil, we can’t afford to poison what’s left. Since this prop is only in California, most of us are not yet involved in what has been called the new food war. It’s not just about poisons, it’s about patents and it’s being sold the same way the chemical companies sold farmers on fertilizers. The world population is growing and this “is the only way we can feed the world.” Just as we learned the myth of chemical fertilizers we will learn the myth of this world solution to poverty and hunger. Standard farming involves crops that produce seeds that can be replanted. The problem with that is farmers purchase less seeds, producing less profits for seed companies. Farmers planting GMO seeds are sued for patent infringement. So much for solving poverty and hunger. America has abundant food. India, not so. Physicist Vandana Shiva says "Native seed is going through a holocaust as corporations are controlling seed supply. The future of our world depends on how we steward our land, soil, water, and seeds, and pass them on to future generations." If you say you care about the kids and the future, check out Dirt! The Movie. Then make up your mind and get involved.
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