ORGANIC LOBBYING GROUP SUPPORTING GMO LABELING

Oct 10, 2012  |  Today's News

Have you heard the saying that if momma ain't happy ain't nobody happy? Well an organic food advocacy group must figure that the fastest way to get to President Obama is by taking their case to momma, in this case, Michelle Obama. Today the Organic Consumers Association was on the Hill to ask the First Lady to Challenge the President to keep his promise to label GMO Foods. This is related to the Prop 37 GMO ballot initiative in California.

National Corn Growers Association has joined with other organizations to 'say no to Prop 37.' The National Academy of Sciences, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, World Health Organization and the America Medical Association all say there is no proven health risk from foods or animals whose DNA has been modified. Farmers have been breeding traits into animals and foods for generations. In fact, increased productivity can broaden access to good nutrition and help end hunger.

Here's the lowdown from the organic group's plan for today. Take it with a grain of salt...misleading the consumer and sometimes, flat out lies, are pretty much status quo when it comes to the emotional argument surrounding this issue. 

It's difficult to fight feelings with science. That's why IL Corn has partnered with other farm groups to engage in different types of dialogues on issues like this, in addition to providing the science. 

From the Organic Consumers Association press release.

Over 200,000 consumers and voters have joined with Organic Consumers Association in a new petition on SignOn.org calling on President Obama to honor his 2007 campaign promise and require the FDA to properly label food with genetically-modified organisms (GMOs).   The petition to be delivered to the White House  on Thursday is addressed to First Lady Michelle Obama, who has been a champion of better nutrition in school lunches and fighting of childhood obesity.  

"It's time for President Obama to honor his 2007 campaign promise to label GMOs," said Alexis Baden-Mayer, political director, the Organic Consumers Association. "Recent studies reinforce what scientists and doctors have been saying for years: genetically modified organisms are not safe, and should not be hidden in 80% of our foods without our knowledge. The OCA calls on President Obama to join the 90% of Americans who have already said they want GMOs labeled, and to endorse Proposition 37, the California Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act."

National polls have indicated that that more than 90% of Americans want GMO foods to be labeled. Yet President Obama has continued to green light a flood of new GMOs, including genetically engineered alfalfa, salmon, and 2,4 D “Agent Orange” corn. The FDA does no pre-market safety testing on genetically engineered foods, instead relying on the word of Monsanto, Dupont and other biotech companies that these foods are safe.  A growing number of studies, however, link genetically modified foods to a host of health issues, including obesity and allergies. The American Medical Association has recently warned that GMO foods need to be safety-tested before they are placed on the market. Nearly 80% of all non-organic processed foods in the U.S. contain GMOs. Without labeling, it is very difficult to keep these foods out of our, and our kids’ diets.