7 Reasons to vote YES on 37!

The Opposition
Monsanto, DuPont, & Pepsi Co. are behind a campaign against Proposition 37 that has spent over 47 MILLION dollars (over 1 Million per day recently) to keep the bill from passing. Consumer Advocates say that “No on 37” proponents have used many of the same tactics used by big tobacco this summer in a campaign to defeat Proposition 29 requiring an additional tax on cigarettes to fund research into related cancers. Their strategy was to spend a lot of money flooding TV and radio waves with campaign messaging to vote it down—and they won.

No Sales Ban
Despite the claims from the opposition that 37 will “ban the sale of thousands of groceries”, the fact is it wouldn’t. The only change would be a packaging requirement labeling GM products with the phrase “partially produced with genetic engineering” anywhere on the back or front of the packages.

No Price Hikes
An economic study on Proposition 37 conducted by Joanna Shepherd Bailey, Ph.D., a tenured professor at Emory University School of Law, found that “Consumers will likely see no increases in prices as a result of the relabeling required.” “California consumers know that putting a little ink on a label is not going to change food prices,” said Stacy Malkan, Media Director of California Right to Know.

Friends & Profits
In the US, corporations are considered people in the eyes of the law. The question is what kind of people are Monsanto, DuPont, and Pepsi Co? Would they look out for your best health interests when making decisions about labeling your food—or is there a chance that their campaign to keep GM food unlabeled could have anything to do with generating profits or minding the best interests of their shareholders?

Motivations
In 2009 a CBS poll found that 53% of Americans would not buy food that was genetically modified. In recent polls 90% of Americans would like to see GMO products labeled. Currently 94% of all soy products, 72% of all corn products, and 80% of all pre-packaged foods contain genetically modified material.

Meanwhile
In 61 other countries including Japan, Australia, and Switzerland governments have already passed laws requiring GMO labeling. Yet in the United States, Congress has never even held a vote on the issue to give shoppers the opportunity to exercise their most basic right – to choose.

Make History
Passing 37 would be a landmark win for advocates of food transparency. If California passed a GMO labeling bill it would make history by setting a president as the first US state to require labeling laws for GM food which could lead the way for other states and even national policy changes.

Today you have the chance to make a difference. By voting yes on 37 you’ll be supporting food transparency and standing up for your right to know what’s in your food. Large food and chemical companies selling sugar water and pesticides would tell you to vote no—however, proponents of Yes on 37 such as the Center for Food Safety, Organic Consumers Association, and American Public Health Association do not stand to make a profit from your vote, they are simply concerned citizens like you that believe we should have the right to know what we’re eating.

Let’s make history today! Learn more at California Right to Know & Vote!