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GMOs What you need to Know and Why Vote YES on I-522 (9-29-13)

(Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) or Genetically Engineered foods - GE) What are GMOs and should you be concerned? GMOs are Foods produced in a laboratory, using Genetic Engineering, by adding DNA from plants, animals, bacteria or viruses (scientific experimentation that never happens in nature). These wealthy biotech companies (such as Monsanto) desire to control our (YOUR) food supply by developing foods resistant to their own chemical sprays such as Monsantos Roundup herbicide. When Roundup is sprayed on crops such as sugar (beets), soy and canola, all other weeds die, leaving the GMO sugar, soy and canola plants alone. GMO corn has a built in pesticide in every cell (yum) made with Monsantos Bt Toxin. GMOs can potentially increase allergies to foods and cause antibiotic resistance in humans, leaving us more vulnerable to diseases, according to the World Health Organization. Which foods are genetically engineered? (READ LABELS) Keep it simple 90% of any food in your store with these ingredients are GMO: SOY (soybean oil, soy sauce), CORN (high fructose corn syrup), CANOLA (or vegetable oil), and SUGAR (90% is GMO beet sugar, while cane sugar is OK). (Keep in mind most commercially fed beef & chicken come from animals fed GMO corn, & grains). Why Label GMOs and how will I-522 help you? I-522 is simple it requires labels on foods letting you as a consumer decide if you want to buy it. This is no different than being labeled with nutritional information like fat, sugar content, allergy information, kosher etc. No on 522 is trying to make labeling sound scary, confusing and expensive, but this is about one thing: labels. This is not a ban on GMOs, and it isnt saying whether genetic engineering is good or bad, its simply saying lets label these foods and give you the consumer information to know what youre buying and help you make choices for yourself. Do you want GMO salmon? The proposed Genetically Engineered salmon will have to be labeled. Who else labels or bans GMOs? 9 out of 10 voters in the U.S. back labeling, according to polls (see Mellman 2012, Zogby 2012). Nearly 50 countries (Click here for map) including Australia, Brazil, China, Japan, Russia and the entire European Union, either ban GMOs or require mandatory labeling of GMOs. Labeling is not required in the U.S. The biotech opposition is spending millions to oppose our Washington voter initiative I-522 and suppress labeling of GMOs in the U.S., yet these same companies make the same foods with NON GMO ingredients comply with labeling regulations in all those countries. Are GMOs safe and can they affect your health? Whats the FDA policy? None of the GMO safety studies have been carried out over 90 days. Your familys health especially the health of our younger generation is too important to gamble with this unknown. Pharmaceuticals are not approved until years of research. There have been NO long-term human health studies ever conducted on GMO foods. FDA does not even require health & safety studies (see why below). The biotech industry says millions have been eating GMOs for 20 years without ill effects, which is misleading. No one monitors human health effects of GMO foods (not the FDA, USDA, etc.) Since GMOs were introduced over the last 20 years, U.S. has had a dramatic increase in miscarriages, abortions, infertility, gastrointestinal disorders, allergies, cancers, etc. Many feeding studies in animals have resulted in potentially pre-cancerous cell growth, damaged immune systems, smaller brains, livers, and testicles, partial atrophy of increased densities in the liver, false pregnancies, and much higher death rates. Michael Taylor a top Monsanto lawyer became FDA Deputy Commissioner for Policy in 1992 passing legislation stating A) GMO foods are no different than non GMO foods and B) GMOs NEVER HAVE TO BE RESEARCHED, so safety studies would be left up to the BioTech companies such as Monsanto telling the FDA the food was safe ??. Do you trust Monsanto saying GMO foods are safe? Michel Taylor is today Obamas food safety czar (one of reasons the federal govt approves new GMOs and will not take action. Amer. Med. Assoc. - Calls for mandatory pre-market safety testing for all GE Foods June 2012 Dr. John Fagan with the National Institutes of Health said that genetic engineering as practiced today is a crude, imprecise, and outmoded technology. It can create unexpected toxins or allergens in foods and affect their nutritional value.

What about 300 studies supposedly showing GMOs are safe and governments saying they are safe? Most of these studies have been conducted by the bio tech companies that own the patents of the seeds, the data is not public and hasnt been peer reviewed. These safety studies are < 90 days old. Remember the FDA does not require health and safety studies at all. Will I-522 and labeling GMOs increase food costs? I-522 will NOT cost the consumer (you) or the retailer ANYTHING to add the GMO label. Allegations are that labeling genetically engineered food would raise the cost of groceries by hundreds of dollars a year have no basis in reality. The initiative simply requires adding a little bit of ink to existing labels. Companies re-label soda cans & cereal boxes all the time without any increase. Many of the companies who produce foods containing GMOs in the US (Coke, Pepsi, Nestle, Kellogg and many others) also produce the same foods without GMOs, in other countries. What are these companies hiding from you? When I-522 passes the companies will have 18 months to change labels and most foods are repackaged within this time period. What about Natural products and which foods will be exempt. There is no clear standard for what Natural foods mean and the term therefore is used deceptively by many companies hiding ingredients that are potentially harmful. I-522 prohibits GMO foods from being marketed as "natural, to avoid confusion." Exemption question: The opposition raises questions and claims confusion about the exemptions in I-522. For example, restaurant food and alcohol do not have to be labeled if they contain genetically engineered ingredients. These exemptions were included for practical reasons. The intention of the law is to give consumers information about the GMO ingredients present in the food we eat most frequently: processed foods on supermarket shelves. It's a start. Isnt GMO crops saving water, or increasing crop yields a good thing? We hear a lot about the promise of Monsanto but the reality is that almost all the GMO crops on Americas shelves were engineered to produce a pesticide itself or withstand large doses of their pesticides. Its NOT working so MORE pesticides are needed Soon 2,4 D (half the ingredient in Agent Orange) will be sprayed on foods, unless you & your friends help pass I-522.

********************************************* We need YOU, YOUR FAMILY and FRIENDS to help pass I-522
We have a right to know whats in the food we eat and we feed our children. Its time for Washington to have the same GMO information as the people in the other 50 countries. We need to reach the vast majority of people in WA who are not aware of this issue. A) Send this link to EVERONE you know, to help out www.GMOFreeWashington.com The action items are listed on website B) Circulate this 2 page Objections handout widely all over the US - ASAP Get everyone to POST this objections handout on Facebook Copy /paste this link on Facebook - http://tinyurl.com/I522objections Email this objections handout to your friends all over to take action & support us Give out everywhere (meetings, grocery stores, family, church gatherings etc.) C) Contribute to I-522 see instructions on www.GMOFreeWashington.com (Many resources are needed. In CA. the biotech industry spent $1 million / day with negative misleading advertising. We need YOUR and your friends help NOW. D) Add your name to our list (www.GMOFreeWashington.INFO) to get involved

MAIN ACTION IS: Use this handout to alert everyone you know, & get them to do same.

For more information, see www.GMOFreeWashington.com


To see details to obections I-522 - http://volunteersfori522.org/debunking-the-lies/rebuttal/

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