California: Voters will decide on GMO labelling

Sacramento / CA. (crkc) The California Secretary of State´s office has announced that the Right to Know initiative to label genetically engineered foods will be on the state´s November ballot. The historic initiative would be the first law in the United States requiring labelling of a wide range of genetically engineered foods. «We are thrilled that Californians will have the opportunity this November to vote for the right to know what is in our food», said Stacy Malkan, a spokesperson for the California Right to Know campaign. «This initiative is pretty simple. It is about our fundamental right to make informed choices about the food we eat and feed our families». The initiative requires labelling of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) – which are plants or meats that have had their DNA artificially altered by genes from other plants, animals, viruses, or bacteria, in order to produce foreign compounds in that food. This type of genetic alteration occurs in a laboratory and is not found in nature. The California Right to Know initiative is backed by a broad array of consumer, health and environmental groups, businesses and farmers.