Food Fight!

The weather may be cooling down, but things are definitely heating up in California. I’m referring to the giant food fight known as Proposition 37, the California Right-to-Know Genetically Engineered Food Act that is currently on the ballot in California. For those living elsewhere in the United States, it’s more significant for you than you might realize. Here’s why.

According to recent polls, 89 – 93% of the American public wants to see labels on their food clearly indicating whether it contains any genetically altered ingredients. That is a significant number. And, what’s even more impressive, is that it is a bipartisan effort. I love it when we can all unite for the greater good, don’t you?

One might think that since GMO ingredients are either banned or labeled in many countries, including China, that would be the case here in the US as well. But, Monsanto and their food industry friends are literally spending tens of millions of dollars on a disinformation campaign to try to prevent this important legislation from being passed.

Last week there was a “study” that came out of Stanford University with research that appears to have been bought and paid for by big Agriculture. Not coincidentally, both the “researcher” and Stanford have received a great deal of money from Cargill and friends. Not surprisingly, the “expert” who authored the study was the same guy who offered his expertise in an attempt to discredit research that was unfavorable to the tobacco industry many years ago. To make matters worse, many of the major media outlets, including the NY Times, published articles debunking organics based on that study.

Please don’t believe a word of it. There is plenty of credible research supporting the superior nutritional value of organics. Common sense would suggest that if GMO ingredients are healthy, the manufacturers and seed companies would be proud to label them. Wouldn’t they? Of course common sense has nothing to do with this because it’s really all just about their bottom line, regardless of what we want or what may or may not be good for us.

Labeling these foods would, for many of us, be tantamount to them putting a skull and crossbones on them, which I suspect is why those who are profiting from them don’t want us to know what we’re eating.

Evidence continues to mount regarding the dangers of eating pesticide-laden GMOs, yet how can health-conscious consumers avoid them if they’re not properly labeled? Choosing organic produce is the best way of course. Just look for a sticker the starts with the number 9 on the PLU code which denotes an organic item.

If you’re not purchasing organic, be aware that the following foods are highly likely to contain GMOs, so you may wish to avoid them altogether.

• Corn
• Soy
• Sugar
• Papayas
• Zucchini
• Yellow squash
• Dairy products containing rBGH, a hormone currently banned in over 27 countries!
• Canola (which in my opinion shouldn’t be consumed by anyone, ever)

Please don’t be fooled by the false studies and media madness. And for those of you living in California, we’re all counting on you to vote YES on proposition 37 in favor of labeling. As California goes, so goes the nation.

Remember, you have a right to know what you are feeding yourself and your family. Food is either life-enhancing or it is not, and since your consciousness is experiencing itself through your body, why not support it the best way you possibly can.