Will @Quaker & @PepsiCo #ConcealOrReveal #GMO 4 Mother’s Day?
GMO proponents have long claimed that genetically modified seeds allow farmers to apply less chemical pesticides and grow healthier crops. But a recent study by Food & Water Watch shows GMO use has significantly increased the amount of herbicides dousing crops over the past 15 years. In honor of Mother’s Day, a new campaign by Just Label It positions moms against GMOs and targets Quaker–and its parent company PepsiCo–for fighting GMO labeling, now supported by 93% of Americans.
This comes on the heels of last month’s World Health Organization announcement that named glyphosate–otherwise known as Round Up–a “probable human carcinogen.” Food & Water Watch found that overall pesticide use increased by 26 percent from 2001 to 2010, and that the use of glyphosate increased 10 times–from 15 million pounds in 1996 to 159 million pounds in 2012.
Meanwhile, companies manufacturing the seeds and pesticides are getting rich. According to analysis in Forbes, “By 2011 there were also three times as many herbicide-resistant weeds found in farmer’s fields as there were in 2001…[while GMO] seed revenues have septupled.”
And they want to keep the system exactly as it stands. After spending hundreds of millions of dollars fighting anti-GMO labeling initiatives in several states, the Grocery Manufacturers Association has put its muscle–read: money–behind a new bill in Congress: H.R. 4432, a bill otherwise known as Deny Americans the Right to Know or the DARK Act, which would prevent mandatory GMO labeling, even if it has statewide support.
But as we saw with the recent phthalate phase out from Home Depot and Lowe’s, consumer pressure can move mountains. That’s why Just Label It released this shareable video featuring high-profile moms like Sharon Osbourne and Mariel Hemingway, as well as a petition against Quaker and parent company PepsiCo to stop funding GMO anti-labeling efforts, which you can sign here.
64 countries label GMOs. We can do this, people!
