Vote Now: GMO Food

Though little discussed by the presidential candidates, Genetically Modified Organisms are a hot topic this election year. Twenty-one states have a ballot measure relaying to the labeling of GMO food.

The arguments go like this:

Those in favor of GMO labeling feel that consumers have a right to know what kind of ingredients their food is made out of. Some believe that GMO's are dangerous, or that buying GMO supports companies such as Monsanto.

Those opposed say that labeling GMO's creates unnecessary fear in consumers; GMO food are no more dangerous than any other type of food.

Personally, I am always in favor of understanding where your food comes from and what it is. Even if the food is the nutritionally the same, if consumers want to know what they're buying, then they should be allowed to know. To me, it is more deceptive to keep people in the dark.

Monsanto vs. Farmers

 Monsanto and its food patents may be the most important issue at the center of the new food movement. The powerful company has singlehandedly transformed farming into what it is today. For those who do not know, here is the basic situation is this: Monsanto produces genetically modified seeds, notably Round-Up Ready Soybeans, which are bred to be resistant to pests and disease. Because they are genetically modified Monsanto claims the seeds as intellectual property meaning that farmers cannot save seeds from year to year, but must buy new seeds every season. Further problems arise when genes from Monsanto plants drift into non-Monsanto crops, in which case Monsanto claims them as intellectual property.

A number of court cases have brought up against Monsanto, however, its tactics have always been upheld as legal. However, for the first time the Supreme Court will look at a case of an Indiana Farmer vs. Monsanto. Many claim that Monsanto constitutes a monopoly of the seed market, and it is possible that the Supreme Court ruling will result in significant policy change.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/10/16/162949288/farmer-tackling-monsantos-seed-policy-gets-a-day-in-supreme-court