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From Jackie with Love: Grassroots movement defeats corporate giants
Published
8 years agoon
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Outlaw PartnersBy Jackie Rainford Corcoran EBS Health Columnist
Between 2013 and 2014, Connecticut, Vermont, Alaska and Maine passed laws requiring the labeling of food products sold in their states that contain genetically engineered (GE) or genetically modified (GMO) organisms.
Let’s be clear on what GE/GMO means. Unlike traditional agriculture where animals are crossbred or plants are cross-pollinated, GMO companies use technology to genetically combine species that cannot breed naturally. This creates unstable organisms, and the effects on humans are still unknown.
“It’s very very bad science,” according to David Suzuki, one of Canada’s top scientists and geneticists. “We assume that the principals governing the inheritance of genes vertically, applies when you move genes laterally or horizontally. There’s absolutely no reason to make that conclusion.”
In a 2014 interview with Jaime Athos, CEO of vegetarian food company Tofurky, he said, “I think that there’s very much that we don’t know about the consequences of this sort of genetic manipulation, and to state otherwise is completely irresponsible. Giving consumers accurate information is never misleading. It may cause them to make different choices than an agribusiness company might prefer, but that is ultimately the right of the consumer.”
More than 60 countries, including all of the European Union, significantly restrict or ban outright the production and sale of GMOs. The U.S., however, has approved GMOs based on studies conducted by the same corporations that created them and profit from their sale.
Large food manufacturers pushed back hard against the independent state labeling laws. According to the nonprofit environmental research organization, the Environmental Working Group, between 2013 and 2014 the food and biotech industries spent $143 million in lobbying efforts against mandatory GMO labeling.
In July 2015, food manufacturers succeeded in getting the House of Representatives to pass a bill misleadingly named the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2015, or H.R. 1599. This bill was written to block states from requiring GMO labeling and make labeling voluntary. The nickname given to the bill by opponents is “Deny Americans the Right to Know” (DARK) Act.
Thanks to EWG and other like-minded organizations, Americans were made acutely aware of the threat to our food supply. Many of us read the play by play via emails, and were urged to call and email our senators and make small financial contributions.
On March 16 of this year, the Senate voted on the DARK Act. It needed 60 votes to advance to the president’s desk, but only received 49 and didn’t pass. We the people were galvanized, took action and won.
This vote is not only a major win for consumers, but for America as a whole. It serves as a meaningful lesson that each of our voices counts and that collectively we are more powerful than the corporate/political machine. Corporations and politicians work for the American people – sometimes we need to remind them.
Food companies know that in order to sell their products, they have to offer what we want. A 2014 poll conducted by abcnews.com showed that 93 percent of respondents said the federal government should require labeling of GMO foods.
As of April 4, Mars, Incorporated; the Kellogg Company; General Mills, Inc.; ConAgra Foods, Inc.; and Campbell Soup Company are beginning to label products that contain genetically modified foods. Check out the Mars’ Peanut M&M’s package, and you will see the label “Partially produced with genetic engineering.”
As G.I. Joe said at the end of his public service announcements, closing each episode of the eponymous 1980s TV cartoon, “Now you know, and knowing is half the battle.”
Jackie Rainford Corcoran is an IIN Certified Holistic Health Coach, a public speaker and health activist. Contact her at rainfordcorcoran@gmail.com
The Outlaw Partners is a creative marketing, media and events company based in Big Sky, Montana.
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My Barking Dog is a nightmare comedy
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My Barking Dog is a nightmare comedy that tells the story of Toby and Melinda, two lonely people whose lives are forever changed the night they encounter a starving coyote at their apartment building. Over time they grow to expect him, leaving ritual offerings to entice the coyote every night. Toby and Melinda forge a connection over this visitor and share curiosity and concern about his presence in the city. The coyote expands their world–until, one night, their world is shattered. Their lives are pushed suddenly into uncharted territory, sending them on a surreal odyssey that changes their city–and the world–forever.
Directed by LX Miller. Starring Max Schneider and Denise Hergett
Verge Theater is continuing their mission to provide accessible theater to our community. Tickets for My Barking Dog are Pay What You Wish with a suggested price of $35. Audience members are offered the opportunity to select the price point that is comfortable for them when purchasing tickets.
My Barking Dog runs March 15-17, 22-24, 28-30
Performances on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays begin at 7:00 p.m., with Sunday matinees offered at 3:00 p.m.
Suitable for ages 16 . No animals are harmed in the staging of this production.
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