By Brian Villalba
Proposition 37 is being framed as a choice between genetically enhanced food and food that doesn’t have genetic enhancements.
The reality is that Proposition 37 has very little to do with genetics and everything to do with showing the public what they are eating.
If people are presented with a choice of knowing what is in their food, or not knowing, then it should be clear that knowing is better.
This issue is especially important to East Los Angeles College’s primary demographic, Hispanics, who represent 76.6 percent of the school’s population.
According to an Experian Simmons, Winter 2012 NHCS Adult Survey, Hispanics 18-29 years old are more likely than non-Hispanics to claim that nutritional value is the most important factor in what foods they eat.
Given how important eating healthy is to everyone, Proposition 37 should pass easily. There are opponents to the bill that profit from genetically engineered foods, like Monsanto Company, and E.I. DuPont De Nemours & Co.
Then there are other opponents that people may not expect such as Coca Cola, Nestle, and Hershey. According to KCET, nearly $28 million were spent to oppose Proposition 37.
By contrast, less than $5 million was spent in support of Proposition 37. Monsanto and DuPont provided $8.2 million of the total contributions to oppose Proposition 37.
If this proposition were going to decide if genetically engineered foods are to be legal, then it would merit a debate about what the dangers are of genetically engineered foods are. This is not the case though. It is about consumers knowing what is in the food they buy.
If consumers are going to pay a premium for food that is labeled as organic, shouldn’t they have the right to know what kind of science goes into the food?
If you would like to know what is in your food, then you must vote yes on Proposition 37.
If you don’t care what is in your food, then you should probably still vote yes on Proposition 37 because it will put pressure on large food corporations to produce foods more in line with health conscious consumers and that benefits everyone.
Some of the brands that are opposed to Proposition 37 are brands that have been the biggest food brands in the world. Here we have them opposing a label that would inform their consumers.
It is a bad look for a brand to be conspiring to conceal contents of their products from the public. The brands that are opposed to Proposition 37 should join the 21st century.
Consumers want to know what is in their food.Are we going to eat genetically engineered foods? Most likely we will, but the choice should ours to make.