punzel Naturkost, based in Germany.
Wilhelm has organized and led two
marches for a GMO-Free World in
2007 and 2009 in Europe that were
very successful in raising awareness.
The U.S. march is being spearheaded by the International Federation of Organic Agricultural
Movements (IFOAM), The Non-GMO
Project, The Sustainable Roadshow,
Dr. Bronner’s and Rapunzel, with lead
sponsors so far that include United
Natural Foods Inc. (UNFI), Organic
Valley, Nature’s Path and Stonyfield
Farm. While the Organic Consumers
Association’s (OCA)“Millions Against
Monsanto” rallies have inspired activism in many cities—this is the first
U.S. event set to bring the entire country together to fight for this cause.
Katherine DiMatteo, president of
IFOAM, says at this point the
Right2Know March has a simple message—GMO foods should be labeled.
“We don’t want the message to come off too left or radical. We can get into details
later, but right now the message is that there is a difference between GMO and
natural seeds—one is developed in a lab and released without studies that prove
it’s safe for long-term human health, and the other is developed on a farm using
time-tested breeding practices. The consumer should have a right to choose how
their food is grown, just like they have a right to choose organic,” says DiMatteo.
The Non-GMO Project’s executive director Megan Westgate agrees with keep-
ing the message simple, “Although there are many messages being put out by dif-
ferent groups, we can all get behind the public’s right to know what’s in their
food and the right to choose Non-GMO,” she says. “This march is going to be a
great opportunity to raise awareness on the issue of GMOs. When people find out
that they’re part of this science experiment without their agreement they are out-
raged—no one likes being a guinea pig. This march is set to be the most powerful
public demonstration against GMOs the country has seen yet.”
The Right2Know March has a website ( www.right2knowmarch.org) where peo-
ple can sign up for the event as well as a Facebook page. For more information on
how your company can help with the march, see The Right to Know March: Get In-
volved! on page 36.
The Second Annual Non-GMO Month. In addition to the march, companies
can also help spread awareness through other events during Non-GMO Month,
which was created by the Non-GMO Project primarily to reach out to consumers
via retailers. Last October, over 600 stores participated in the first ever Non-GMO
Month by hosting events, putting shelf tags on verified products, handing out
brochures and fundraising. To facilitate collaboration, the Project offers contact
