"What is food to some, for others it is bitter poison", Lucretius, Roman poet (99 BC-55AC)
If California were a country, with its population of nearly 40 million, it would be among the 30 most populous countries. The economic, political and cultural impact of the rest of California in the United States is enormous. It is for this reason that citizens' initiatives that are submitted to a referendum there and state legislation, for that matter, are so important. Of the 11 initiatives presented to the voters of California in 2012, is likely to garner the most attention is Proposition 37 on labeling of foods containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The approval or not of this bill will have a significant impact on how the food system of the country is organized, either by favoring small local organic producers (if approved), or allowing further expansion of agribusiness large companies (if not approved).
The proposal is simple. The official guide to the voters of California Proposition 37 summarizes as follows: "It …show more content…
The Proposition 37 spokesman Stacy Malkan, environmental health advocate long career, said: "Proposition 37 is very simple. It is our right to know what's in the food we eat and we feed our families. It is our right to decide whether to eat food that has been altered considerably at the genetic level by companies like Monsanto, which contain bacteria, viruses and foreign genes that have never before been present in the food system. It has been hidden genetic engineering to US consumers for two decades. Sixty-one other countries require labeling laws, but we have not achieved that labeling is approved here because of the great influence of Monsanto and chemical companies. So what is happening in California is a grassroots movement that has risen to require labeling.
If California were a country, with its population of nearly 40 million, it would be among the 30 most populous countries. The economic, political and cultural impact of the rest of California in the United States is enormous. It is for this reason that citizens' initiatives that are submitted to a referendum there and state legislation, for that matter, are so important. Of the 11 initiatives presented to the voters of California in 2012, is likely to garner the most attention is Proposition 37 on labeling of foods containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The approval or not of this bill will have a significant impact on how the food system of the country is organized, either by favoring small local organic producers (if approved), or allowing further expansion of agribusiness large companies (if not approved).
The proposal is simple. The official guide to the voters of California Proposition 37 summarizes as follows: "It …show more content…
The Proposition 37 spokesman Stacy Malkan, environmental health advocate long career, said: "Proposition 37 is very simple. It is our right to know what's in the food we eat and we feed our families. It is our right to decide whether to eat food that has been altered considerably at the genetic level by companies like Monsanto, which contain bacteria, viruses and foreign genes that have never before been present in the food system. It has been hidden genetic engineering to US consumers for two decades. Sixty-one other countries require labeling laws, but we have not achieved that labeling is approved here because of the great influence of Monsanto and chemical companies. So what is happening in California is a grassroots movement that has risen to require labeling.