March Against Monsanto

This Saturday, May 24,  cities around the world will unite to March Against Monsanto (MAM).

Occupy Long Beach is hosting the family and citizens MAM event in Long Beach. Participants will meet on the Corner of Second Street and Pacific Coast Highway at 1 p.m. Parking is available in  the parking lot adjacent to Joe’s Crab Shack along East Marina Drive.

According to the MAM Long Beach Face Book page, the purpose of Saturday’s march is: To raise awareness and tell Monsanto that WE DO NOT WANT GMOs IN OUR FOOD. Concerned Families and Citizens will once again be voicing their concerns over Monsanto’s continued usurping of our food chain with their GMO food stocks that are insufficiently tested. We are …not lab rats. We are also opposed to Monsanto spending millions in Lobby (legal bribery) money to continue to put good honest organic farmers out of business.

Organizers of the event ask participants to bring sign making materials, and signs.  Political analyst and writer, Peter Mathews of KEIB AM 1150 radio will be the featured speaker.

 

Vermont recently joined Connecticut and Maine requiring processed foods containing genetically modified ingredients (GMOs) to be labeled. Several other states including California have similar laws making their way through their state legislature. It’s clear that Americans want these foods labeled but some politicians are beholden to corporate interests, like US Rep. Mike Pompeo, (R- Kansas) who introduced a federal bill (backed by the Koch brothers) that would prevent states from requiring  GMO foods to be labeled, giving the FDA ultimate authority over all GMO labeling requirements.  Michael Taylor who heads the FDA is a former Monsanto lobbyist.

Pompeo’s bill is also backed by the Kansas Agriculture Retailer Association (ARA) and the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA). They are the same groups who pour millions of dollars into false media campaigns attempting to scare consumers from wanting GMO foods labeled. Their biggest lie is that labeling will cause food prices to soar. My question to the “spin doctors” is this, “If cost is the issue, then why aren’t foods already higher to pay for the media blitz against labeling?” These groups have paid much more in false advertising than they would have, if they just labeled their foods in the first place AND maybe they wouldn’t have such an “image” problem to deal with.

Fifty-eight countries now ban or require labeling of GMOs. When will this happen in the U.S.?

 


About Inge

Cancer survivor. Healthy organic food coach. Public speaker. If you have a story you want told, contact me at iscott.orangejuiceblog@gmail.com/