SEQUIM — A rally Saturday will demand labeling of foods that contain genetically modified organisms.
Dungeness-based Nash’s Produce is organizing the “Right to Know Rally” from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the corner of North Sequim Avenue and West Washington Street in conjunction with the Organic Consumers Association’s Millions Against Monsanto campaign in Washington, D.C., to demand labeling of GMO products.
“We will be out in force to let the world know that we all deserve to know what’s in our food,” said Kia Armstrong, marketing director and advocate for Nash’s, which grows organic crops on almost 400 acres in the Dungeness Valley.
Genetic engineering or modification of food involves the laboratory process of artificially inserting genes in the DNA of food crops or animals to add nutrients or traits such as resistance to insects or disease, according to the U.S. Department of Energy Genome Program’s Humane Genome Project website at http://tinyurl.com/6psad.
The result is called a genetically modified organism, or GMO.
Controversial
Some critics believe GMO products exacerbate allergies, reduce digestive enzymes, cause liver problems and may even lead to cancer.
Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture officials have said the engineered foods they have approved are safe — so safe they don’t even need to be labeled as such — and can’t be significantly distinguished from conventional varieties.
The rallies focus on the U.S. firm Monsanto, which is said to be a leader in GMO patents.
Armstrong said modified labeling is required in European Union countries.
The planting of such products is controversial in Europe, where seven counties — France, Luxembourg, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria and Greece — have banned the planting of a genetically modified maize developed by Monsanto.
France ban illegal
The European Court of Justice’s attorney general said Tuesday that France’s 2008 ban on planting the Monsanto maize was illegal without permission from the European Commission, Reuters news agency reported.
Armstrong, who has worked for Nash’s for eight years, said many would not eat GMOs if the products were labeled in stores.
Explaining the intent of the rally, to educate the public about GMOs, Armstrong said, “We want to empower people to understand their choices.”
The alternative is certified-organic foods, she said, which are not genetically modified.
According to information provided by Armstrong, 91 percent of the soybeans grown in the U.S. are GMOs, 88 percent of U.S. cotton has been genetically modified, and 75 percent of the corn has been genetically modified.
A “GMO and factory farm truth-in-labeling” petition will be circulated for signatures at the rally, Armstrong said, which she was promoting this week to encourage a large turnout.
“The main problem with GMOs is once the genie’s out of the bottle, they’re gone,” she said.
DNA altered
Genetically modified plants — such as soybean, corn, cottonseed and canola — have foreign genes forced into their DNA, according to the Campaign for Healthier Eating in America.
The American Academy of Environmental Medicine states: “Several animal studies indicate serious health risks associated with GM food.”
Those risks include infertility, immune problems, accelerated aging, faulty insulin regulation and changes in major organs and the gastrointestinal system, the academy said.
“I’m just sick and tired of corporations dictating the quality of foods that are available,” Armstrong said.
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Sequim-Dungeness Valley Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-681-2391 or at jeff.chew@peninsuladailynews.com.
