GMO Labeling Campaign Urges Parents to Petition the FDA
Just Label It, a campaign petitioning the FDA to require mandatory labeling on foods containing genetically modified ingredients, is still rallying the U.S. government to take action on GMOs after receiving more than 1 million signatures earlier this year—the largest in FDA history.
While the FDA counted those 1.2 million signatures as fewer than 400 individuals, the campaign is not giving up efforts to ensure that GMOs become regulated in the U.S. The campaign’s latest request is a call to the nation’s parents to join the effort and sign the petition in order to guarantee safe food for their children who may be at risk of developmental issues and other health concerns as a result of exposure to GMOs. “We are facing an onslaught of food products that we know nothing about: pink slime, corn resistant to the toxic 2,4-D herbicide, and apples genetically engineered to never turn brown,” the group said in a statement.
According to the Just Label It campaign, surveys show that 90 percent of mothers and 88 percent of fathers polled support mandatory labeling of foods containing genetically modified organisms.
The U.S. is the only industrialized nation with no regulations or restrictions on genetically modified organisms. And recent research underscored the risks connected with GMOs and the pesticides commonly used on the crops. French researchers discovered an increased rate of cancer and organ damage to the kidney and livers in subjects exposed to glyphosate—the most commonly used pesticide on GMOs, marketed by Monsanto as Roundup.
There may also be a link between exposure to GMOs and the endocrine disrupting effects of glyphosate and the nation’s rising rates of obesity—particularly among children. More than 1 in 5 children are either overweight or obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
Parents wishing to sign the petition can click here.
Keep in touch with Jill on Twitter @jillettinger
Image: Just Label It
