Genetically Modified Foods ... That sounds like a fancy term.
Fancy, scientific, and even futuristic.
Oddly enough however, genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are what make up many of the products in our grocery stores today.
Is it alarming to you that you may be consuming these each and every day? For many Californians, it is.
That’s why the California Right to Know Campaign has successfully gotten enough signatures in their petition to have the required labeling of GMOs put on the ballot this November.
This wasn’t a close call, either. According to polls, 9 out of 10 Californians felt that it was indeed their right to know whether or not their foods were made with GMOs.
So how do we know if these things are bad, anyway? What exactly is a GMO?
The Non-GMO Project, explains it this way:
“GMOs are plants or animals created through the gene splicing techniques of biotechnology (also called genetic engineering, or GE). This experimental technology merges DNA from different species, creating unstable combinations of plant, animal, bacterial and viral genes that cannot occur in nature or in traditional crossbreeding.”
According to the Non-GMO project, the processing of GMOs may negatively affect our environment, our farmers, and most importantly, our health.
Furthermore, although the FDA may not be concerned with their safety, nearly 50 countries (including Australia, Japan, and all of the European Union) throughout the world have restrictions or bans on the sale and production of GMOs.
This is not the first time that California has taken the lead on a public health issue. In 2009, California put a ban on the sale of soda and other sweetened beverages in high schools.
The Salt, a blog from the NPR Science Desk, believes that the state’s strict limits on school snack food sales may be one of the reasons that California teens are consuming 158 fewer calories per day when compared to other states.
Do the math and this can add up to about 15 pounds avoided per year!
This is just one example of how one state has taken the stand on many issues and seen real, tangible results. If that’s not empowering, I don’t know what is!
If you’re not happy with the state of things, be proactive! With the help of technology and the rise of numerous social media platforms, there are now more channels than ever before to help you get involved and spread the word about these issues.
Get involved by telling a friend, posting a status update, or by signing a public comment to get the FDA's attention.
In the fight for rights, knowledge is power.
Sources:
California GMO Labeling Initiative Headed for Ballot: Right to Know Campaign Turns... -- SAN FRANCISCO, May 2, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --. (n.d.).PR Newswire: press release distribution, targeting, monitoring and marketing. Retrieved May 13, 2012, from
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/california-gmo-labeling-initiati...
Aubrey, A. (n.d.). Why It Matters That California Teens Eat Less Than Their Peers : The Salt : NPR. NPR : National Public Radio : News & Analysis, World, US, Music & Arts : NPR. Retrieved May 13, 2012, from http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/05/10/152413050/why-it-matters-tha...
GMO Facts | The Non-GMO Project. (n.d.). Non-GMO Project. Retrieved May 13, 2012, from
http://www.nongmoproject.org/learn-more
Reviewed May 15, 2012
by Michele Blacksberg RN
Edited by Jody Smith