by guest blogger Jody Perrecone
Californians will be voting November 6th on Proposition 37, also known as the California Right to Know Genetically Engineered Foods Act. It will be asking if 1) it should be mandatory for genetically modified foods to be labeled and 2) foods that contain GMOs no longer be labeled as “natural.”
What is genetically modified food? It is the moving or modifying or insertion of a gene in a plant (or animal) to modify its characteristics. A bacteria gene may be inserted in seed that will make it resistant to pesticides. Changing the genes of a plant will allow insecticides or herbicides to be sprayed on fields that will kill insects or weeds but not the plant.
What’s the harm? The truth is we don’t know if there are any long term health implications of GMOs. Suggestions have been made that GMOs may be toxic and cause allergies and cause hormone disruption in humans.
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