Check Your Pantry

SO, anyone who has been reading my blogs so far knows that I'm totally pro-research pro-discovery pro-whatever-makes-our-crops-grow-better and what not, right? Well i have recently learned that our lovely Senate officials have a doosey of a bill on their hands. One that has been not-so-affectionately named the 
DARK Act. (Denying Americans the Right to Know Act)

Whoa. that sounds pretty sketchy now doesn't it? Well here's some need-to-know info before I go digging around in what this Act really is talking about. And why in the world you should even care about this. 

I don't know how many of you know about these already but I'm talking about GMs. AKA Genetically Modified substances. Things like organisms, plants (soybeans, corn, wheat), and they are even starting to modify certain feedstock animals. Plants that can grow in abnormal temperatures, and ones that that can resist insect damage and live on a low water supply. How great does that sound for our farmers? They will hardly have to worry about their crops and imagine the money you'd save!!!

so there's two sides to this debate here….

THE BIG "6" CHEMICAL COMPANIES

(Monsanto, Syngenta, Dow Chemical, etc)

WHAT THEY WANT:

• Place a law into effect that requires companies to voluntarily label any GMO product used in the process. (Except if during the process the GMO product is used completely and no mass is left over 
• Permit certain meat, eggs, and milk raised from animals that have been fed GMO feeds to be considered non-GMO. 

CONSUMERS

(that means us folks) 

WHAT THEY WANT: 

• Anything and everything using GMO's to a certain percent in their products MUST label the product as a GMO food.

GMOs. Should we? or shouldn't we consider them a substance that NEEDS to be labeled. 

Labeling =NOT NEEDED

• GM crops need less water and less harmful herbicides to grow properly. Which then is giving the farmer the ability to drench our crops with less harmful chemicals. 
• GM crops are used (mainly) to feed our livestock animals. Instead of our food products. 
• The small amount of GMs in food products are well within FDA regulations. 
• It would give the products a bad reputation by being labeled as a "BAD GMO Product"  Which would lower demand, causing jobs to be lost. 

Labeling = GOOD

• It's important that Americans should be able to pinpoint exactly where and what our pre-packaged food products are made of. 
• Implementing an obligatory Label-Law would set ground work for possible trade and sales to other countries and created a common standard. 
• It would force all companies to keep track of their FDA standards and regulations. 

So, Do we force all these large companies to label exactly every GM food that goes into grocery stores? Or do we just let it blow over? (and thats really really hard for me to agree with) Though it is very true, labeling these foods as GMO-containing products, people WILL care and be judgmental when it comes to picking produce, or picking which slice of bread to make their sandwich out of. So ethically do we need to label things? I think yes… but not as a big huge white or green or red sash with a big GMO sign pointing to exactly everything in their field. Though, since everything is well under the FDA standards, I find it slightly easier to just leave the label off if it's going to cause so much . 

So folks, think a little bit. about maybe what side you'd be on… and let me know please.. I always like to try and see what I kind of pictured in my head.. only a little bit heavier, 

Thanks so much 

Bethy