GMO Labeling Victory!

Posted on March 12, 2013 by Tyler Sanville

Whole Foods Market, the eighth largest food and drug store in the U.S. has announced that by 2018, all products sold in U.S. and Canada stores must be labeled if they contain genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Whole Foods currently provides customers with the choice of over 3,300 Non-GMO products from 250 brands which is more than any other retailer in North America. While we agree with other groups that want Whole Foods to accelerate their commitment to 2015, we also applaud the company for its leadership.

This is huge news coming just a few months after the California citizen’s initiative (Proposition 37) that would have mandated clear labeling of genetically engineered ingredients on food packages was defeated. With interest in GMO labeling around the country now at an all time high, recent polls have shown that more than 82 percent of Americans want full GMO transparency making it mandatory to label GMOs. Continue reading →

Monsanto supports GMO labeling in the UK but not in the US

Posted on November 1, 2012 by Tyler Sanville

“Monsanto fully supports UK food manufactures and retailers in their introduction of these labels. We believe you should be aware of all the facts before making a purchase.”

This quote comes from an advertisement that Monsanto ran in the UK in the late 1990′s when consumers demanded that genetically engineered food be labeled. Monsanto may not have initially liked the idea, but as the policy became inevitable, they began running ads in support of labeling, to pretend they supported it all along. The European Union mandated labeling of all genetically engineered foods in 2003.

Nearly a decade later, California may become the first state in the US to require genetically engineered food to be labeled. With only a few days until the proposal is put to a vote, Monsanto has already given over $8 million to a front group that is blitzing California’s airwaves with anti-labeling advertisements. The “No on 37″ group has raised well over $40 million so far, with Monsanto as the largest donor.

What gives? Do Monsanto executives think it’s okay for British parents to know what’s in the food they feed their kids, while treating America’s children as “guinea kids”?

Vote Yes on Proposition 37 to ensure the labeling of genetically engineered food in California, because we have the right to know.

Vote Yes to Label GMO’s in California!

Posted on October 5, 2012 by Tyler Sanville

“Don’t forget to eat the redwood sorrels!” I was on a hike in Julia Pfeiffer State Park in Big Sur, CA with a close friend. As we were hiking she was teaching me about these small edible heart-shaped plants called redwood sorrels. When you chewed on the leaves, they taste just like the skin of a fresh green apple. Though we had a picnic lunch packed all I could think about was how these wild growing plants could taste just like the apple in my backpack. This experience taught me more about the food I consumed. I never stopped to consider what it was I was putting into my body and how it would affect my health. I never considered the consequences of my consumerism or the industries I was supporting nor the environmental impacts the food system in the US had on our planet. It was then I realized I have the right to know what I am eating and I wanted to learn more. Continue reading →