Got food allergies, cancer, Parkinson's disease, Crohn's, faulty insulin regulation (diabetes), irritable bowel syndrome, leaky gut, autism, infertility problems, auto-immune deficiencies? All these illnesses and conditions could be the result of genetically engineered food, says the Union of Concerned Scientists (a 400,000-plus member, science-based nonprofit organization) and the Institute of Responsible Technology (educator for policy makers and the public).
Genetic engineering (GE) or genetic modification (GM) is done in a lab with a gene gun, or using bacteria or viruses to infect cells and alter their DNA structure. The cells are then cloned into plants. The genetic consequences are unpredictable and bear no relation to the natural plant breeding that farmers have been doing for hundreds of years. The National Research Council says that unintended changes arise with ALL forms of genetic modification. According to the National Research Council: "All evidence evaluated to date indicates that unexpected and unintended compositional changes arise with all forms of genetic modification, including genetic engineering."

 Since 1996, our food supply has been genetically engineered to the point that an estimated 70 percent of the foods on grocery store shelves now contain genetically modified ingredients. There have been no long-term health studies nor has the Food and Drug Administration been vigilant in protecting consumers from the perils of genetically modified foods
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despite warnings from their own scientists.
The risks of genetically modified foods and organisms are multi-dimensional. They include the creation of new "transgenic" life forms (organisms whose genome has been altered by messing with its DNA). These new life forms have unpredictable behavior and replicate themselves out of control in the wild. They take shape as super weeds, super bugs and as super viruses inside our bodies. With all this genetic pollution going on, it should not be surprising that the health of our families is on the demise.

 Please vote "yes" on Proposition 37 -- the "right-to-know" initiative to label GE foods. The giant agriculture and food manufacturing companies will try to fool us into believing that GE foods are safe and that it will cost the consumer more to label these foods. Companies change their labels all the time to take advantage of latest marketing trends. Let's vote "yes" on 37 and make labeling genetically modified foods the next new marketing trend and put to rest this death-delivering technology by giving consumers the right to know and the right to choose.

Christine Long