Genetically altered food needs labeling

opinion@dailylobo.com

Last Tuesday, voters cast their ballots and decided on a number of important questions facing the city, state and country. One of these questions, which I have written about previously, was whether to raise Albuquerque’s minimum wage and index it with the cost of living. On this issue, voters’ voices were clear, as the proposition won with 139,604 votes in favor and 71,178 votes against.

However, as soon as the proposition was approved by a large margin of voters, there was talk in the City Council about overturning the initiative. It would only take a majority in the council to overturn the measure. So if you voted for the increase and feel it should stay, please write a letter to Mayor Richard Berry saying you would disapprove of a City Council repeal. Also, if you would like to write a letter to be submitted with others, please email your letter to aserrano@olenm.org.

Many decisions were made last Tuesday. One that was somewhat overlooked was the groundbreaking Proposition 37 in California.

This proposition would have made mandatory the labeling of genetically modified foods in California. If it had passed, this legislation would have been the first labeling law on genetically modified foods in the United States. This is important, as many of the products we eat contain genetically modified crops. The Center for Food Safety estimates 85 percent of the corn and 91 percent of soybeans grown in the United States are genetically modified, and such crops are ubiquitous in processed foods.

Labeling of genetically modified crops has been a large issue since the FDA ruled, soon after the crops’ introduction, that they were “substantially equivalent” to conventional crops. However, many feel there needs to be deeper investigation, and at the least, labeling, to let consumers make their own choice. About 50 countries already require similar labeling of these foods.

On Tuesday, the measure was voted down after a huge battle between activists and many large organic backers on one side and some of the agribusiness and chemical companies that own and benefit from genetically modified crops on the other side. The campaign for labeling began at the grassroots level and grew to 10,000 volunteers statewide, raising about $7 million.

This proved to be little match for the $45 million that was poured into the campaign against the proposition by companies such as Monsanto, DuPont and Dow Chemical. While the measure was defeated 53 percent to 47 percent in California, a poll last February found that 91 percent of Americans would agree with the labeling of genetically modified foods. The proposition may have been defeated, but it did open greater debate about understanding our food and where it comes from.

The election may be behind us, but we as citizens must make sure the things we care about get done and the politicians we voted for are doing them. Voting is an important civic duty; however, I would say voting is not the end of that responsibility. To make our voices heard, we must continue to be active and involved in the issues that we believe in, even after we cast our votes.