The Fight to Require Labeling of GM Foods: Prop 37 Puts Political Fuel Behind the American Food Movement

Reader Contribution by Megan Harris
article image

Don’t miss Michael Pollan’s New York Times editorial Vote for the Dinner Party about the fight in California to require labeling of GM foods. As he so often does, Pollan lays out all the issues better than anyone. He explains how the mutual loss of confidence between the industrial food chain and consumers is responsible for the no-win situation we are struggling with now. Consumer trust in Big Food dwindles as the Food and Drug Administration continues to reject the widespread plea for the labeling of genetically modified foods, while the food industry distrusts consumers to invest in food products after they are labeled as genetically modified.

Pollan recognizes the emergence of a Food Movement, where consumers are essentially voting with their food dollars in favor of GMO-free goods, opting to purchase food from farmers markets rather than supermarkets. Although the Food Movement has been influential in revitalizing local farming and setting high standards for the food industry, this form of soft politics will eventually reach the height of its potential. If true reform in our food industry is to be enacted, a higher level of political intensity is needed. Pollan explains why California’s Proposition 37, or as he calls it, another one of the state’s “notorious initiative” processes, may serve as a successful catalyst for changing the politics of food. Trust me: If you care about the Real Food movement, it’s worth clicking in to the Times to read the entire article.  

From Vote for the Dinner Party:

Americans have been eating genetically engineered food for 18 years, and as supporters of the technology are quick to point out, we don’t seem to be dropping like flies. But they miss the point. The fight over labeling G.M. food is not foremost about food safety or environmental harm, legitimate though these questions are. The fight is about the power of Big Food. Monsanto has become the symbol of everything people dislike about industrial agriculture: corporate control of the regulatory process; lack of transparency (for consumers) and lack of choice (for farmers); an intensifying rain of pesticides on ever-expanding monocultures; and the monopolization of seeds, which is to say, of the genetic resources on which all of humanity depends.

Comments (0) Join others in the discussion!
    Online Store Logo
    Need Help? Call 1-800-234-3368