California's Prop. 37 Isn't Just About California... This Is Crucial For Every Single Person In America

All summer we've been looking closely at the wretched corruption that went into our political elites selling us-- all of us, even their own children and grandchildren-- out to Agribusiness. Not only have they decided we're eating Frankenfood whether we like it or not-- and whether it kills us or not-- they also decided we have no right to know if genetically modified organisms are in the food we buy. It was last April we posed the question about Monsanto, whether California voters could defeat our country's most deadly enemy. At the time, I pointed out that on a Federal level, where the Beltway politicians are completely bought off by Monsanto-- both sides of the aisle (and especially the Blue Dogs)-- it's completely hopeless to seek any redress from the injustice. If Obama's FDA is on Monsanto's side and undermining all grassroots efforts to stop Monsanto, you can only imagine how much worse it would be under the Republicans. Oh, wait-- it actually couldn't be much worse. And Kucinich's GMO labeling bill sure isn't going anywhere-- not with a tight Republican/Blue Dog coalition lined up against it as they count their bribe take from AgriBusiness. So this is all up to the states where progressives and good government types can control the situation-- so surely not Wisconsin, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Iowa or the Old Confederacy. The Battleground is in California... Prop 37.

Behind this historic California initiative is a broad, growing and powerful health, environmental, and consumer coalition, which includes the Organic Consumers Association, Organic Consumers Fund, Food Democracy Now!, Mercola.com, Nature’s Path, Lundberg Family Farms, LabelGMOs.org, Eden Foods, Alliance for Natural Health, Dr. Bronner’s, United Farm Workers Union, American Public Health Association, Cornucopia Institute, Institute for Responsible Technology, Sierra Club, Rainforest Action Network, California Certified Organic Farmers, and scores of others.

This time, the industry faces informed-- and alarmed-- consumers who understand the danger of allowing out-of-control chemical and biotech companies like Monsanto, Dow, or Dupont-- the very same corporations that have assaulted us with toxic pesticides and industrial chemicals, Agent Orange, carcinogenic food additives, PCBs, and now global warming-- to dictate their food choices.

Why has it taken so long to get this far? How have Monsanto and its cohorts been able to grow and maintain market supremacy while force-feeding unlabeled “Frankenfoods” to the public for decades?

By buying off politicians, bullying farmers and scientists, and keeping consumers in the dark.

Monsanto has sued more than 150 farmers across the US and Canada, and threatened thousands of others, for refusing to pay for “intellectual property theft” after their fields were contaminated by Monsanto’s patented genetically engineered crops.

The company has harassed and used the media to bully scientists who have exposed the public health and environmental hazards of genetically engineered foods and crops in the United States, Canada, Latin America, and Europe. The renowned scientist Dr. Arpad Pusztai from the UK, was pressured and discredited for reporting on the dangers of genetic engineering until he was eventually fired from his job. The same thing happened to the UK’s Environmental Minister, Michael Meacher.

In a number of other cases, scientists such as Ignacio Chapela, have received death threats. Chapela also said he received death threats to his children from “a high government official” in Mexico after he showed contamination of native corn with Monsanto’s GMOs. Other scientists, most notably Andres Carrasco from Argentina, have been assaulted by thugs. Monsanto has even hired the notorious mercenary gang, Blackwater, to spy on its opponents worldwide.

Why has Monsanto gone to such great lengths to thwart GMO labeling laws and initiatives? Because it understands the threat that truth-in-labeling poses for GMOs-- and biotech industry profits. As soon as genetically engineered foods are labeled in the U.S., millions of consumers will read these labels and react. They’ll complain to grocery store managers and companies, they’ll talk to their family and friends. They’ll switch to foods that are organic or at least GMO-free. Once enough consumers complain about GE foods and food ingredients, stores will eventually stop selling them. Farmers will stop planting them.

In Europe, there almost no genetically engineered crops, while here in the US, nearly 75% of all supermarket foods-- including many so-called “natural” foods-- are GE-tainted. Why? Because Europe requires labeling of genetically engineered foods-- and the US does not.

This is exactly why activists have launched the California Ballot Initiative. Passing mandatory GMO food labeling in just one large state, California, the eighth largest economy in the world, where there is tremendous opposition to GE foods as well as a multi-billion dollar organic food industry, will ultimately have the same impact as a national labeling law.

If California voters pass the California Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act, the biotech and food industry will face an intractable dilemma. Will they dare put labels on their branded food products in just one state, California, admitting these products contain genetically engineered ingredients, while withholding this ingredient label information in the other states? Will they allow their organic and non-GMO competitors to drive down their GMO-tainted brand market share?

The answer to both of these questions is likely no. What most of them will do is start to shift to organic and non-GMO ingredients, so as to avoid what the Monsanto executive 16 years ago aptly described as the “skull and crossbones” label.

Can you imagine Kellogg’s selling its Corn Flakes breakfast cereal in California with a label that admits it contains or may contain genetically engineered corn? This would be the kiss of death for their iconic brand. How about Kraft Boca Burgers admitting that their soybean ingredients are genetically modified? How about the entire non-organic food industry (including many so-called “natural” brands sold in Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s) admitting that a large proportion of their products are GE-tainted?

Once food manufacturers and supermarkets are forced to come clean and label genetically engineered products, they will likely remove all GE ingredients, to avoid the “skull and crossbones” effect, just like the food industry in the EU has done. In the wake of this development American farmers will convert millions of acres of GE crops to non-GMO or organic varieties.

Up top is the first TV ad from the Yes of Prop 37 California Right To Know Campaign. Although they're being gigantically outspent by Monsanto and its allies, they've already committed $150,000 to an early media blitz directly challenging the record of deceit of the big corporations that are now working to deny all of us the right to know what’s in our food.

“The same corporations that brought us DDT and Agent Orange are now bringing us the No on 37 campaign,” said California Right to Know Media Director Stacy Malkan.
 
“In addition to their history of false health claims about DDT, Agent Orange and tobacco, the same corporations and political operatives are making false claims about the safety of genetically engineered food-- even though numerous studies link these foods to allergies and other health risks, as well as to significant environmental problems,” Malkan said.

“Californians have a right to know whether or not their baby formula, corn chips or soy milk contains genetically engineered ingredients that have not been proven safe,” Malkan said. If you'd like to chip in to see the ads keep running, you can do so here. Ever wonder we all think a simple salad tastes so much better in France or Italy?