Another effort to disguise GMOs and bury the evidence

Creating social change,

A3361-001Don’t call them “genetically modified” says the FDA.  In a campaign that is very likely driven behind-the-scenes by the marketing arm of biotech industry, the FDA now wants us to use the term “genetically engineered” instead.

Why is this so appalling?  Because the American public is just beginning to wrap their minds around the term “GMO”.  That little combination of three letters is gaining widespread comprehension — “brand recognition” you might say.  Recognition that it is the Death Star of our global food supply.

And now that people are starting to recognize all the horrible health and environmental impacts of GMOs , we’re supposed to change-out the language.

It’s a blatant marketing tactic to confuse the public.…

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What happened to the GMO-Free Zone?

Creating social change, Environmental Change-Makers community,

Not everything we do comes out successful.  Sometimes we have some rather spectacular failures.  Hopefully, we learn from them, we dust ourselves off, and we continue on.

When you’re fighting GMOs, you know that at some point you’ll encounter opposition.  It’s inevitable.  And for us, the day the Big Guys exercised their significant muscle was December 8, 2014.  It felt like running at 60 m.p.h. into a brick wall.

Up until that point, our initiative to make L.A. a GMO-Free Zone had pretty much flown through all the channels of government.  Sure, it was hard work, but it was highly successful work.

We had TONS of local people on our side:  over 5,000 signatures from the general public, 5 endorsements from Neighborhood Councils, and over 100 endorsement letters on file — from a very diverse set of organizations including small business, urban agriculture, seed companies, Latino organizations, environmental organizations, and faith communities.  Our mixed coalition included GMO-labeling activists, ECM people, Seed Library of Los Angeles people, and oh so many more.

Councilman Paul Koretz remarked that he had not seen an L.A. initiative with that level of public support for a very long time.

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