There are so many current affairs that people have become passionate about! One of my very best friends is a lesbian, so it should be no surprise that she recently went to and graduated law school and is now "fighting the good fight" for marriage equality. I have a friend in the military who has taken up the cause of making sure that soldiers sent across the globe has a say (via the ballot box) in the very freedoms that they are protecting. Likewise, with the coming election, it should be of no surprise that the subject of GMOs (genetically modified organisms) is one that I have taken up. Thanks to Prop 37 on the California books, the issue is receiving national press. Earlier this month, renowned food authority Michael Pollan released his thoughts on the matter in an article entitled "Vote for the Dinner Party."
Pollan is definitely behind the "food movement" in America. People have been demanding change in how we eat for years, some say decades, but is this a worthy cause? Or just one for elitists? There is an alternative food economy rising up! The supermarket has evolved, and not in a good way! This has been combated by local and organic markets responding. The movement has shifted from just an interest to a political topic.
Prop 37, about to be voted on in California, would require geneticially modified organism (food) to carry a simple label. Pollan, however, realizes the significance of a tiny sticker and whether the movement passes or not what it means. California has a history of using such Props to further causes. In the 1970s, Prop 13 was a response to the tax rebellion. In the 1990s Prop 215 raised the question of accessibility of medical marijuana. And more recently, human dignity was questioned with Prop 8, often called the Marraige Equality Prop bringing about the question of gay rights. According to Pollan, Prop 37 is not about a simple label, but rather the direction of the industrial food chain.
Attacks on Big Food have been proposed but not followed through on. Taxes on "junk food," possibilities of being taken out of schools, the pink slime in our meat, how our animals are treated and slaughtered, have all been brought up but only as passing thoughts. Few of these have resulted in more action that a 5 minute news spot. Big Food decided that rather than to combat these attacks, they would defend themselves claiming that they did it for the people. This is definitely evident by the sugar and corn sugar tv spots. Pollan also points out that the United States is one of the only First World countries who has not already labeled GMOs. Monsanto and DuPont, are the main competitors of Prop 37, investing millions (perhaps billions) to knock it down. Monsanto owns the patents on crops. But how? How is a crop an invention? It is when the only available seeds are modified and not a product of nature.
Big Food regulates itself currently. Reminds me of the Banking Industry. What happened when they regulated themselves? Pollan points out that the label is not the focus, but rather it is one of power. The consumer should have the power not the corporations. Whether Prop 37 passes or not, the food economy will change. Should it pass, the government will be aware that it is not just elitists who want to decide what to put in their body. Unfortunately as of right now, you have to pay more for better labeling. Should it not pass, it opens the door for better change in the future. People will become aware of what power the Big Food companies have.
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