Green living guru and mama Holly Davis is here this week with her take on the importance of California’s Proposition 37 and her commitment to the idea that knowledge really is power.
Read on…
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By Holly Davis
There is something really big happening on November 6th in California that could deeply effect the lives of everyone living, eating, and breathing in the US… No, I am not talking about the presidential election (not to downplay its importance); rather I’m talking Proposition 37. It is serious stuff, and this mama thinks you should take notice.
What is Prop 37?
Prop 37 is a “right to know” labeling law for all produce, meats, and foods that contain Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs). Simply put, if it contains GMOs at all, it has to be disclosed on the label. Disclosure is good.
GMOs in our food supply hit deeper than the surface grocery store shelves. It is in the food that feeds the chicken and the cow. It is in the corn kernel in the popcorn bucket, in the canola oil we commonly use to cook, in the refined sugar sourced from sugar beets, in the flour used to make processed foods. GMOs are plant or meat products that have had their genetic makeup altered by genes from organisms.
Over 30,000 different GMO’s are on Grocery Store Shelves.
Who Makes GMOs?
GMOs are brought to us by Monsanto and DuPont — the same corporations that brought us Agent Orange, Round-Up, and DDT, the same companies that have purchased and patented the majority of the world’s seeds and have created seeds that are insect resistant by injecting pesticide inside the actual seed of the future food. Unlike organic farmers, these companies are not in the business of feeding the people; they are in the bio-tech and pesticide business.
Why are GMOs bad?
According to Right to Know, “Genetically Modified corn has been engineered in a laboratory to produce pesticides in its own tissue. GMO corn is regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency as an Insecticide, but is sold unlabeled. [EPA Pesticides]. Wal-Mart is now selling Monsanto’s that has been genetically engineered to contain an insecticide, but consumers don’t know because it’s not labeled.”
This could easily be mistaken for a modern day science fiction horror story, but the studies on the effects of GMO’s are all to true and real. According a report by Earth Open Source entitled, GMO Myths and Truths [1], effects can include:
- Allergies
- Immune System Disturbances
- Higher Toxic residues of Pesticides
- Cancer. Tumor Growth.
- Crop Contamination of Round Up Ready Super Weeds
In addition, animals fed GMO suffered from tumors, had high inflammatory responses, retarded growth, Over Three Generations were affected with Pancreas, Kidney, Liver damage as well as alterations in blood biochemistry. Even animals given small amounts of GMO’s showed they were extremely sensitive to them and were shown to be harmful to their health.
The supporters and detractors of the proposition tell another story. Per Cal-Access’ Proposition 37 campaign finance report, supporters of of Prop 37/GMO labeling include: small donations from moms, concerned citizens, farmers, Whole Foods, Environmental Working Group, American Public Health Organization, Dr. Mercola, Annie’s Foods, and Organic Consumers Association. On the other hand, companies such as Monsanto, DuPont, General Mills, Coca Cola, Pepsi, Cargill, Sunny Delight, Hormel, Hershey, Mars, ConAgra, Kraft, and Unilever have contributed up to $40.7 million dollars in donations to try and defeat the proposition.
It reads like a who’s who on grocery shelves. What do they have to hide?
All of us may not be able to vote in California but we can vote with our dollars right here at home, spread the word or make a donation to one of the non-profits fighting for our health. If California’s Prop 37 wins November 6th, we all win…
[1] GMO Myths and Truths: An evidence-based examination of the claims made for the safety and efficacy of genetically modified crops by Michael Antoniou, Claire Robinson, and John Fagan. © Earth Open Source, June 2012. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this paper, or otherwise published by EOS, are those of the authors and do not represent the official policy, position, or views of other organizations, universities, companies, or corporations that the authors may be affiliated with.
Holly Pellham Davis is the founder of Clean Fresh Living, Inc., a service focused on educating consumers and families on the importance of healthy, organic, sustainable living for life and generations to come. You can hear more from Holly on her Clean Fresh Living blog, twitter, and Facebook.
