SHELTON BLOG NOTE: son County Progressive
Mason County Progressive
Link to information on how to support the Washington State Initiative (I-522) to label GMO foods (at least 241,153 valid signatures are needed by 12/31/12 to get I-522 on the ballot): http://masoncountyprogressive.blogspot.com/2012/09/yes-on-i-522-its-our-right-to-know.html
SUBMITTED BY JAKE RUFER
ReplyDeleteI am pleased to listen and watch a presentation by Marie-Monique Robin in as much as I am now reading her book entitled “The World According to Monsanto” and subtitled “Pollution, Corruption, and the Control of Our Food Supply”.
Ms. Robin is an investigative author of the first rate. She documents action taken by Monsanto that should, but does not, raise the hackles on every servant of our government. As my reading progresses I feel a deep pit of hopelessness; but we must not give in.
I highly recommend that every reader of this progressive blog read her book. We must fight back. In that regard, support of I-522 is critically important.
This is not just about Monsanto. Unfortunately, this is about the companies that use Monsanto products, many of whom (Kellogs, Dean Food Products) create many of the "organic" products some of purchase (Kashi, Ben and Jerrys). Should a label initiative like this pass, think about how it would affect their bottom line.
ReplyDeleteThis is why Prop. 37 failed by a narrow margin. Want to know what companies - specifically the "organic ones" supported the "No on Prop 37 side?" Here you go. Boycott them!
http://ecowatch.org/2012/payback-time-boycott-brands/
So, more statewide Initiatives are starting up including Washington (us) and Vermont. In Washington, I-522 this is "The People's RIght to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act" which simply requires any food sold in retail outlets to be labeled if the ingredients are produced through genetic engineering. It's all about the consumer's right to know. .
It does not matter what your political preference is, nowadays people simply do not have a lot of trust in letting big corporations and/or the government make decisions for them. Frankly, those days are long gone. And when it comes to what we eat and buy - well, thank you very much - since most of us are on a strict budget, we will make choices for ourselves and our families.
It is OUR dollar, OUR bodies, OUR right to know.
Looking to sign the petition? OlyVegan on 4th is collecting signatures, or you can download one from the website and host it at your place of business.
Here is I-522's website. http://www.labelitwa.org/
The federal effort (JustLabelIt) has received a tremendous amount of support from California Hollywood faces (Chevy Chase, Michael J. Fox, more) since Prop 37 failed - with over 1.2 signatures sent to the FDA asking for genetically engineered foods to be labeled (disclosed is a better word) as such.
Here is the link to the Federal Effort to urge Congress to work on legislature requiring the FDA to work on labeling standards:
http://justlabelit.org/
Now, what do you think of this?
ReplyDeleteI wrote a letter to Horizon Foods (I prefer rice milk but my husbands enjoys their dairy brands) stating how disappointed I was that they protested California's Prop 37. I told them I could not purchase their brands if they were going to protest I-522. Here is their response - what do you think? I admit I am slightly confused, since I support (and always have) JustLabelIt.
So, as I understand his response - some of these companies are NOT going to support the state initiatives because they prefer the Federal effort. I wonder why? Maybe we should look closely at the difference? Any takers here? I am in.
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Thank you for your recent e-mail to Horizon Organic®. We appreciate your interest in our products.
At WhiteWave, we believe consumers have the right to make informed choices about the foods they eat, and support labeling foods that are made with non-genetically modified ingredients.
• We support labeling foods that are made with non-genetically modified ingredients.
• While we support the underlying principles of I-522, we choose to support national initiatives, such as Just Label It and the Non-GMO Project that will not impede the availability of our products.
Just look at two of our national brands – Silk and Horizon Organic. They are both produced without the use of genetically modified ingredients and the package clearly indicates this.
Our entire Silk plant-based beverage portfolio is verified by the Non-GMO Project, and proudly carries the Non-GMO Verified logo.
All of our Horizon Organic products carry the USDA Organic Seal, and have since 2001. Consumers have come to know and trust that the certified organic label means their food is produced without the use of pesticides, antibiotics, added growth hormones, and GMOs.
Today at WhiteWave Foods, 85 percent of our products are non-GMO, and we are working to move additional ingredients in our portfolio to non-GMO.
We are proud of the national initiatives in which Silk and Horizon Organic engage.
The Just Label It! initiative is supported by a broad coalition of consumers and businesses interested in how their food is produced, including Silk and Horizon Organic. The campaign involves a petition with the FDA seeking mandatory labeling of GM foods. Consumers can make a public comment in support of the petition on the campaign’s website at www.justlabelit.org.
Thanks again for contacting the Consumer Affairs Department.
Sincerely,
Derek Gomez
Consumer Response Representative
Ref: N1694411