In around 40-plus other countries -- including all of Europe, Japan, China, Russia, Brazil – companies are forced to label food products if they contain genetically modified organisms, or GMOs. An initiative campaign is underway here in California in order to force the same standards in our local supermarkets. LabelGMOs.org is the group behind the campaign initiative and the SoCal director of the organization, Stacey Hall, commented the following:

“The GMO labeling initiative is a grassroots effort to try and get genetically engineered organisms in our food labeled so that we have choices as to whether or not we eat it. […] They won't let us do it here, so we are taking matters into our own hands and trying to create the right to choose what we feed our families and educate the public so the public can make educated decisions, basically.”

The deadline is fast approaching for the initiative to qualify, as April 22 is when signatures must be submitted. There is much controversy and debate over the health effects and safety of genetically modified food. The Daily News reports that “The FDA does not conduct studies on the possible health effects of GMOs because, as FDA spokeswoman Siobhan DeLancey says, they don't have the resources.”

After the uproar over “pink slime” in ground beef products in stores across the country, Americans and particularly Californians may be extra sensitive to food issues and therefore all the more eager to approve this initiative.

The campaign's website can be seen here.