Food Fight

A messy fight over requiring labels on genetically-modified foods (GMOs) in California has come to an end—for the moment. California’s Prop 37 ballot initiative drew considerable heat this past election season, with millions of dollars thrown at both sides. Though early polls showed a majority in support, Big Ag did its darndest in the final weeks to confuse the voting public with a wealth of misinformation. Sadly, it worked, and Prop 37 was defeated.

But it’s not the end. Several other states have initiatives to require GMO labels, and they are moving forward despite the disappointment in California. Earlier this year, the Just Label It campaign turned in over 1.2 million signatures to the federal government in support of labeling—a record response for a single initiative. And this recent national clamor over Prop 37 was a telling moment, piercing previously deaf ears in Washington.

A post-election statement from the California Right to Know Campaign remained hopeful, saying, “Today, we are more than 4 million votes closer to knowing what’s in our food than when we started. This is a victory and a giant step forward.” Even though Prop 37 did not pass, the outcry continues: We have a right to know what’s in our food.

In his various pre-election commentaries, Michael Pollan said this is “not just a California issue. This is a national issue.” So true. We’re approaching a tipping point on the road to large-scale food system change; all that’s needed are a few more percentage points. The moment is ripe to up the ante and, for the first time, create opportunities to finally vote with our votes as well as our forks.