The GMO products issue is gaining attention worldwide, a fact that can only help the cause against them. In the U.S., it’s currently focused on labeling. Should consumers have the right to know what products they’re buying has been made from genetically-modified crops? This article in today’s New York Times, centered on activists fixing GMO labels on products, serves to demonstrate just how complicated the issue is while emphasizing the forces arrayed against those demanding simple product labeling. Who is it that fears what GMO labeling might do to their sales? “…conventional farmers, agricultural biotechnology companies like Monsanto and many of the nation’s best-known food brands like Kellogg’s and Kraft.” We’re talking big money. The article estimates that tens of millions of dollar will be spent ahead of the vote on California’s referendum on labeling GMO products. Want to guess which side will have the most to spend?
Other interesting tidbits from the article: Oprah has joined the fray. And there’s a new ap for those looking to find non-GMO food products while shopping for their families; ShopNoGMO.
Meanwhile, activist in Mexico have stopped a bill that would implement “a privatizing model that uses patents and “Plant Breeder’s Rights” (PBR) to deprive farmers of the labor of centuries in developing seed.” Questionable legal rulings on patent laws in the United States have allowed Monsanto and other corporations to intimidate organic farmers and others who have had their fields inadvertently polluted by GMO seed. Small farmers in Mexico organized quickly and succeeded in convincing legislators not to offer the proposed bill. But, the controversy isn’t over. Corporations are expected to pressure legislators to introduce the bill once upcoming elections have concluded. I wonder if corporate money is as influential in Mexican elections as it is here in the U.S? The struggle continues.
Eric Vinje founded Planet Natural with his father Wayne in 1991, originally running it as a grasshopper bait mail-order business out of a garage.
Eric is now retired, but is still a renowned gardener known for his expertise in composting, organic gardening and pest control, utilizing pesticide-free options, such as beneficial insects.
Eric believes when you do something good for the environment, the effects will benefit generations to come.
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2 Responses to “Paying Attention to GMOs”
I was watching Planet Green and they were saying that there are now three categories of organic. The first is 100% organic. The second is 80% organic, in which 80% of the product must be 100% organic and the other 20% can be non-organic, but no gmo. Lastly there’s 70% organic, in which 70% must be 100% organic and the other 30% can contain gmo and non-organic. Yea, read labels, know who’s producing it. I recommend looking them up on the web to verify their integrity. Rod H.
Do you think it would be a good idea to start by educating children through schools? Growing an organic garden, in which the produce is used for their school dinners. (It won’t be a great amount of food, but at least it encourages children to grow their own produce at home too), collect rain water, learn about the best ways to save electricity and recycling, so that if its natural to them they will also take this info home and encourage their parents. I feel the government should maybe encourage the big electricity companies to reinvest their profits into going green and tax them if they don’t or maybe spend less on nuclear weapons and invest the money better.