Prop 37: What You Should Know

V PROP 37 X WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW Proposition 37 dubbed, "The California Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act," would require manufacturers to label all food items that contain genetically engineered ingredients as such. It also prohibits use of the word "natural" in a food label. Certified organic foods would be exempt. Genetically Modified Organisms are experimental plants or animals that have been genetically engineered in a laboratory with DNA from other plants, animals, bacteria and viruses. WHAT ARE CMOS? Genetically modified crops in the US, percentage of total: GMOS have been found in 80% of packaged food in the United States. ***** Soy: 91% Cotton: 88% Corn: 85% THE COUERNMENT'S REUOLUING DOOR WITH MONSANTO Monsanto, the single largest contributor to the effort to defeat the measure, was one of the first producers of the toxic pest control substances, DDT and PCB. Both substances are now banned in the US. If you eat processed foods, you're eating GM foods, and you have been for the last decade-whether you knew it or not. You can thank Congress for this, and the USDA, and Monsanto. FEDERAL COVERNMENT POSITION INDIVIDUAL MONSANTO POSITION US Congressman (D) Toby Moffett Monsanto Consultant US Senator (D) Dennis DeConcini Monsanto Legal Counsel Dep Dir FDA, HFS (Bush Sr, Clinton) Margaret Miller Chemical Lab Supervisor White House Senior Staff (Clinton) Marcia Hale Director, Int'l Government Affairs Sec of Commerce (Clinton) Mickey Kantor Board Member WH Appt to CSA, Gore's SDR (Clinton) Virginia Weldon VP, Public Policy White House Communications Josh King Director, Int'l Government Affairs Gore's Chief Dom Policy Adv (Clinton) David Beler VP, Government & Public Affairs WH Appointed Consumer Adv (Clinton) Carol Tucker-Foreman Monsanto Lobbyist Deputy Admin EPA (Clinton, Bush) Linda Fisher VP, Government & Public Affairs USDA, EPA (Clinton, Bush, Obama) Lidia Watrud Manager, New Technologies Dep Commissioner FDA (Obama) Michael Taylor VP, Public Policy US Sen (D), Sec of State (Obama) Dir, USDA NIFA (Obama) Hillary Clinton Rose Law Firm, Monsanto Counsel Roger Beachy Director, Monsanto Danforth Center Ag Negotiator Trade Rep (Obama) Islam Siddiqui Monsanto Lobbyist **former and current employees TIME TO DECIDE ARE YOU FOR OR ACAINST PROP 37? 937- OF AMERICANS 437- LABELING ON CE FOODS WANT PROP 37 FUNDING Total Contributions as of October 2012 $40• million ©=© I. $30• million SUPPORT $20• **** OPPOSE million $10 - UNDECIDED million $0 REPUBLICAN DEMOCRAT OPPOSE SUPPORT WHAT YOUR VOTE MEANS V JOTING YES X VOTING NO would mean that genetically engineered foods and food products have to be labeled in California. would mean no change to existing law. No labeling would be required. WHY DOTE YES? WHY VOTE NO? GMOS have not been proven safe, and long-term health studies have not been The American Medical Association says: "There is no scientific justification for special labeling of bioengineered foods." conducted. The initiative would simply require food sold in retail outlets to be labeled if it is produced through genetic engineering. It would not ban any foods at al. It would ban the sale of tens of thousands of perfectly safe food products unless they are specially repackaged, relabeled or remade with higher cost ingredients. Companies change their labeling all the time, that there would be "no increases in prices as a result of the relabeling required." $: Companies change their labeling all the time. There would be no increases in prices due to required relabeling. Proposition 37 has been narrowly crafted in a way that provides "greater legal certainty" for businesses than other California consumer It would create a new class of "shakedown lawsuits" allowing lawyers to sue family farmers, grocers and food companies for violations of labeling. disclosure laws. INFOCRAPHIC PRESENTED BY: SOURCES http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2012/09/20129257471016420.html http://www.treehugger.com/green-food/what-are-gmos-how-many-us-foods-contain-them-infographic.html http://www.kcet.org/news/ballotbrief/elections2012/propositions/prop-37-funding-genetically-engineered-food.html http://www.kcet.org/news/ballotbrief/elections2012/propositions/prop-37-genetically-modified-foods-labeling.html http://www.justlabelit.org/ http://www.carkghttoknow.org/facts http://www.noprop37.com/facts/ ReuseThisBag.com"