Chico's Role in the Battle to Label GMO's.

 

Went down to Chico today to catch part of the March Against Monsanto. In the election of 2012, California had a ballot measure to label GMO's on packaging (Prop 37). The woman who wrote the law and started the Initiative, Pamm Larry, is in the photo above. She is the farthest person on the left, looking sideways. Pamm did a hell of a job--essentially starting the whole movement to label GMO foods single handedly. The ballot measure lost very narrowly. It was outspent by Thirty Million dollars. Every major newspaper in California (and I mean EVERY newspaper in California) came out AGAINST the ballot initiative. Pamm took on the likes of Monsanto, Coca Cola, General Mills--the list of companies that put millions of dollars into the fight against the Initiative is astounding. Like I said, the Initiative lost narrowly.

Despite losing, the fight was picked up in many other states. Washington State has a ballot initiative coming up in November. After California's Prop 37 lost, the state legislatures of Maine and Connecticut passed GMO labeling laws. Twenty six States have legislation pending on labeling GMO's.

This is a law that is going to happen. The movement is comprised of mostly women. Women who are appalled that twenty years ago, genetic changes were made to seeds and were released untested into the American food system. The evidence seems murky regarding the safety of these foods. Yet there are a couple of reasons to object, despite the insufficient knowledge regarding the food safety. First off, it puts our whole seed industry into just a couple of company's hands. A monopoly for Monsanto. Secondly, it is never a good idea to splice genes from different organisms into a "Genetically Modified Organism".  This does not happen in nature and, philosophically, this is just something that should not be done. It is a gut reaction that we are playing with the stuff of life.

Personally, I think the evidence is there to make a case against GMO grains. First off, just take a look at the explosion of chronic disease that has occurred since they were put on the market in the late 80's. I'm sure we will be gathering more and better data confirming what, at this point, is just circumstantial evidence with a few promising studies.



 

This March wasn't as big as the one a few months ago. But the last one I attended was in Sacramento. However, when you attend these gatherings, it really is a movement that is led by women. There must be something maternal about genetics and food. Women know instinctually, that you just don't mess with the genetic make up of an organism. And because this movement is led by women, it will succeed. I'd make a bet that every state will have labeling laws by 2016. And after that, there will come the push to eliminate GMO's to our diets. That is what the big companies are worried about. And that is what is going to happen. Of this, I am fairly certain.