Santa Maria Sun / Letter To The Editor

Californians want to know what they're eating

Amy Anderson

Ads against Prop 37 don’t mention what type of food is being labeled. They don’t use the words “genetically modified organisms” or “GMOs.” That’s because Monsanto, Dow Chemical, and DuPont know consumers are widely in favor of knowing when their food has been genetically altered by a giant chemical corporation.

Consumers in Australia, Europe, Japan, and China have labels. Why don’t you? And food prices have not gone up due to labeling in these countries.

Independent cost analysis of the California proposition has shown GMO labeling will likely cause no increase in consumer prices. It’s a one-time cost, and manufacturers frequently change food labels without raising prices. How else would we know when their products are “new and improved?”

How outrageous would it be if a manufacturer claimed that telling you whether a product contained wheat or sugar was “impractical,” or “misleading?” This is no different.

GMOs are already linked to toxic and allergenic reactions, and to thousands of sick, sterile, and dead livestock.

Monsanto has a brand new genetically engineered sweet corn, Seminis, with two types of Bt-toxin, and the Roundup Ready gene for weed control. These chemicals are not sprayed on the plant. They grow inside. Sound tasty?

You have a right to know what’s you’re eating. Vote yes on Prop 37 to require GMO labeling.