I live in the Portland metro area which shares the banks of the mighty Columbia river with Washington state, the newest state to get on board the Label GMOs (Label It Washinton, Yes on I-522) train. I couldn’t be more thrilled that the push to get genetically modified foods labeled has taken firm roots in Oregon’s neighbor to the north! All the momentum gained during the Prop 37 battle in California is fueling this newest endeavor. And in Washington, it’s not just consumers who want labeling, but organic and even some conventional farmers, ranchers and dairies. Both Oregon and Washington are a haven for farmer’s markets, co-ops, organic produce clubs and the like, so it is no surprise that support is in plentiful supply.
I recently posted that all the attention given to the GMO issue because of Prop 37 in California, both good and bad, was a good thing. Even the barrage of TV ads against labeling paid for by the biotech and food industries generated the kind of publicity that makes the average consumer take notice. So many more people are now becoming aware that they’ve been eating GMO food since 1994!
In addition to that, Kaiser Permanente, the nation’s largest managed health care organization, has published a recent article in their Northwest regional Partners In Health newsletter (originally reported here by WillametteLive.com, a local news organization) with a clear warning to avoid GMOs as much as possible. Kaiser is my hero for speaking up about this issue. It’s high time a big organization took sides and spoke out!
Here is recent news from The Organic Consumer’s Association, one of the spearheads of the labeling movement. The association moves their focus from California to Washington! Oregon has an initiative started as well, but it is not as far along as Washington’s is.
