Just Label It just released a really inspiring video featuring some of our favorite celebrity moms who stand with us (and the vast majority of Americans!) in support of GMO labeling. I am super excited too see moms like Jordana Brewster of Fast and Furious fame, Jillian Michaels, Sara Gilbert, Ginnifer Goodwin, and Sarah Michelle Gellar (Go Buffy!). I love that they are using their star power to support GMO labeling because they are moms first and we moms all want to know what our kids are eating!
It is just one more way in which we are trying to get the attention of the large food manufacturers who are throwing millions of dollars towards efforts to conceal GMOs. The petition asks Quaker Oats of PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, General Mills, Kellogg’s and Campbell’s to stop blocking Americans’ right to know if there are GMOs in their food and to support mandatory FDA labeling.
Large food companies combined have spent more than $100 million to fight GMO labeling campaigns across the country. Their trade association, the Grocery Manufacturers Association, is supporting the anti-consumer DARK Act, which will make it even harder for consumers to get the transparent labeling they deserve. This dangerous bill just passed in the House of Representatives. What we buy in grocery stores should never be a mystery or a surprise. It is outrageous that our legislators think this okay.
We need these big food companies to stop blocking our right to know what’s in the food we feed our families. The video highlights the question, “What do moms care most about when it comes to their kids?” The importance of food, and specifically, knowing what’s in the food we feed our families was a common trend for every mom.
If what’s in your kids’ food is important to you, be sure to sign the petition here and share this video to help spread the word!
A new poll has been released that shares some interesting information about how moms feel about GMOs, or genetically modified foods. If large food corporations are banking on consumers not being informed about GMos or not caring if they are labeled then they are in for a rude awakening. Whether or not they are ready to admit it, these companies are vulnerable and if they are on the wrong side of this issue…well it won’t end well.
Lake Research Partners conducted the poll and it shows that customers want to know if their food contains GMO ingredients and they feel betrayed when companies seek to hide this information.
70% of moms declared they were less likely to buy from Quaker or parent company Pepsico when told that they are funneling millions of dollars towards initiatives designed to effectively block our right to know about GMOs. 93% want Quaker to label GMOs and 80% want them to stop trying to block label laws.
81% said they are less likely to buy from brands who sell food with GMO ingredients, which contributes to the increased use of toxic pesticides. Glyphosate, the primary herbicide used on GMO crops, is considered a probable human carcinogen by the World Health Organization.
We have been told for a long time that GMOs will help feed the world but any practice that increases the use of pesticides is not sustainable or practical to feed the world. I have also been told by several of my local farmers (who use GMO crops) that they do not produce more yield than conventional (non GMO) crops. We moms are very concerned about the chemicals our children are exposed to and if GMOs are being grown with heavy loads of potentially cancer causing chemicals…well, no thank you. If they aren’t producing MORE food than conventional growers then what is the point?????
Consumers are getting savvy. They are demanding truth in labeling and transparency about ingredients and practices. This trend will only continue and gain more steam. Brands need to rethink their current practices if they want to survive.
Join me in this revolution!
People all across the country are fed up with being kept in the dark. That’s why I’m working with Just Label It to bring the Conceal or Reveal campaign to Quaker’s doorstep. But we need your voice, too.
Sign the petition
Ask Quaker to support mandatory FDA labeling of GMOs, stop funding anti-mandatory labeling efforts, and stand up against the DARK Act!
This post was created as part of the Just Label It campaign in which I am a financially compensated Labeling Advocate. Booyah! The opinions I share here are my own and based on my own world view.
My family, my health, my money, my right to know, and my right to choose.
It seems unfathomable that any group, company, corporation or government would take the stance that we don’t have the right to know something as personal and basic as how our food was grown or raised. Yet in today’s marketplace this is actually a fight we moms have to take on. Unreal as it seems there are many people who feel we should not have a right to know if our food has been genetically modified. We are being asked to eat the mystery meat in school all over again and don’t dare ask what it is…
So why the mystery? Well, depending on who you ask you will get many different answers. For the most part it all comes down to money. The huge agribusiness corporations behind GMOs have many billions of reasons to keep GMOs unlabeled and far from the scrutiny of the public. The food companies making products with GMOs would rather not label their products as such because it might make you think twice before putting their products in your shopping cart. Farmers have their reasons as well…as GMOs fall out of favor, their income is threatened.
The truth is that most of the world requires GMO labeling to give people the right to know what they buy. Since food is one of those basic needs we have as human beings there should be no mystery surrounding it. We need 100% transparency and if GMOs are as wonderful as large agribusiness claims, then the record will show that.
There are many, many companies trying to block our fight for food education and information but Quaker’s parent company, PepsiCo, is one of the worst offenders. They are spending millions to keep you and your family from knowing what’s in your food.
Quaker is one of the big food companies using their deep pockets to lobby against mandatory GMO labeling. Through the trade association, the Grocery Manufacturers Association, they are supporting a bill in Congress we call the DARK Act – because it would deny Americans the right to know whether our food has been genetically engineered.
Here is why you should care:
GMO crops have led to huge increases in herbicide use, which contributes to an array of threats to the health of people and the environment. And in case you missed it, the World Health Organization recently labeled the main herbicide used on GMO crops as probably carcinogenic (aka cancer-causing).
Increased herbicide use, promoted by the planting of GMO crops, has been so severe that according to the U.S. Geological Survey, 60-100 percent of the rain in Midwest farming communities now contains herbicides.
GMOs thus result in millions of pounds of probable carcinogens in our air and water.
And, just as the overuse of antibiotics has caused resistance to some bacteria, herbicide overuse has created resistant weeds on 70 million acres, resulting in the use of stronger and even more dangerous herbicides. This is called the chemical treadmill.
We have the right to know whether GMOs are in our foods so we can choose not to support the chemical treadmill.
People all across the country are fed up with being kept in the dark. That’s why I’m working with Just Label It to bring the Conceal or Reveal campaign to Quaker’s doorstep. But we need your voice, too.
Sign the petition
Ask Quaker to support mandatory FDA labeling of GMOs, stop funding anti-mandatory labeling efforts, and stand up against the DARK Act!
We do not want to be kept in the dark. GMO or no we have the right to know! Period. To make it happen we must make our voices heard. Just Label it already!!!
Will you join me??
This post was created as part of the Just Label It campaign in which I am a financially compensated Labeling Advocate. Booyah! The opinions I share here are my own and based on my own world view.
The battle for climate justice seems to be a losing one, but every once in a while the good guys get a win. This is the story of what happened in a small Bay Area city.
In 1989, 1999, and 2012 there were explosions and fires at an oil refinery run by Chevron in Richmond, California. These events have caused over 15,000 citizens to need care for burns and the effects of inhaling noxious fumes. For this community the fire in 2012 seemed to be the last straw. In 2013 they banded together and sued the Goliath-like company.
As you can imagine, Chevron did not take kindly to this lawsuit. They began to take measures against the local government in Richmond. Chevron poured 3.1 million dollars into the local elections in 2014, even producing attack ads, hoping to get more “friendly” politicians in place. Although that is a lot of money, this community would not be intimidated. They showed up to vote, and were triumphant. All of the Chevron delegates lost, but it didn’t end there. These events spurred the community to start a program called Climate Justice, including turning empty lots into gardens and organizing events sponsored by local green companies to raise environmental awareness.
Bio: Frank Bozzo is the Social Media Coordinator for This Planet, a series of short video stories that draw on the best new content and surprising facts about climate, energy and innovation.
Everyone is getting bombarded with voting messages lately. I just started getting lots of unsolicited emails from the campaign of the one of the presidential hopefuls this week. Facebook is full of political talk. The energy surrounding this election is ramping up but in my humble opinion we need to remember that every day is voting day. We don’t have to wait to wait to be heard. No, we may not get to decide on POTUS but we do get to cast votes for many other equally important issues. More important issues actually.
Every day we vote with our shopping dollars. Are we supporting unsustainable, toxic products and companies or are we supporting conscious, safe, and sustainable companies and products? When we go down the aisle of the big box store and pick up a bottle of cleaning fluid or a box of cereal we are casting a vote in support of that product and that company…are you voting for the people and things you want to be?
Sadly, if most people did some background checks on the products they are currently buying they would be sickened by who and what their money is supporting. The good news for all of of us though is that you can change this instantly by changing what you buy and who you buy it from. We all are all consumers on some level so we can all be activist consumers if we choose to be and why on earth would you choose NOT to be once you become aware of the power in your purse?
For 2015 I have partnered with a company that makes is easy to become to the activist consumer you want to be. ClimateStore’s mission is to is to make it fun and easy for people to reduce their carbon footprint by
helping people learn about climate change
promoting new ideas for sustainable living
finding great products that reduce fossil fuel use
sharing success stories
What I personally found appealing about ClimateStore is that we can shop for products that reduce our carbon footprint and support a company that values the same things. So many large companies with dirty practices and heavy carbon footprints jump on the green bandwagon to get their piece of the pie. Well, I would rather my money go towards good products AND ethical, responsible companies. I love that this particular store isn’t just about selling. They have a large educational component as well. They are seeking to create a community among their customers of people who are well versed in climate science and the environmental impacts thereof. It is a mission and a company I can get behind.
It also helps that the products are great. They aren’t greenwashed products that leave you scratching your head in confusement. They have a great selection of smart home tools such as programmable thermostats and solar thermometers. They have compost bins and rain barrels too. The gardener in me just loves that.
When the talk around you gets political it helps to remember that you have power and a vote right this very second. What kind of world will you vote for and what kind of ethics will you support?
Disclaimer: I am working in partnership with ClimateStore as a blog ambassador and I am compensated for my work . The opinions and thoughts contained in this post are 100% my own.
Tiffany is an urban homesteading, wife and mother of three who is always striving for health, happiness, sustainability, adventure, creativity, beauty and intention. Enjoy!
Contact tiffany via
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