GMO labelling: USA:
California GMO Labeling Law Makes It Onto November Ballot excerpt: If passed in November, Prop. 37 would make California the first state in the U.S. to require labeling of most foods made with GMOs. Given the size of California, such a law would become a de-facto national law because many retailers and manufacturers follow the most strict law in every region to make production simpler. In 50 countries around the world, GMO labeling is already law. The state of Alaska is the only state in America that requires GMO shellfish and fish to be labeled, and it is the only state that has any kind of stipulation on labeling.
According to
LabelGMOs.org, the organization responsible for getting the initiative on the ballot, it is time for Californians to stand up for their right to know. According to recent surveys, about 90 percent of Californians are in support of the GMO labeling.
Because over 90 percent of us want our foods labeled. We believe our right to know what we are buying and feeding ourselves and our kids supersedes corporate rights to a nontransparent profit. We are tired of elected officials buckling to corporate pressure over the clear desires of us, their constituents. We are outraged that we don’t have the same right that over 40 percent of the world’s population has: A clear, transparent market with genetically engineered ingredients disclosed in a simple, easy-to-read way. Three-quarters of U.S. Senators rejected a federal GMO labeling bill earlier this year. Since then, nearly 20 states have had similar bills turned down in Congress.
All this is in spite of the fact that GMO labeling was one of President Obama’s campaign promises. Canada:
Greenpeace Canada:
GMO foods excerpt:
GE food has been in grocery stores since 1996, but no long-term tests have been done on the impacts on human health.
Potential health risks include the development of antibiotic resistance, allergic reactions, nutritional changes and the creation of toxins. GE crops also threaten plant diversity, essential for food security.
We want better labelling of GE foods so consumers can make informed decisions.
Canada and the United States are the only industrialized countries that do not have mandatory labelling regulations in place.
