in Santa Monica, maintains a list of all of the Non-GMO Project Verified products that they carry and promotes this list on its website and
Facebook page.
The Right to Know Movement
Besides getting consumers to vote with their dollars for non-GMO at
the checkout, a big goal of the toolkit is to get consumers to push
change on a political level. In the United States, there are two major
campaigns underway focused on GMO labeling policies: the Just Label
It effort and the California Ballot Initiative. There is also the Non-GMO Project, which is working in partnership with these campaigns.
Just Label It
Right to Know Goal: Federal labeling (U.S.) for foods containing GMOs
Strategy: Petition to demand that the FDA label GMOs
Website:
www.justlabelit.org
Description: The Just Label It campaign launched in 2011 to advocate
for the labeling of genetically modified foods. The outreach campaign
supports an official petition calling on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to label GMOs and includes over 500 partner organizations, from businesses and NGOs to community groups and farmers.
In April 2012, Just Label It successfully achieved its goal of collecting 1
million signatures on its petition—the most ever on a food petition to
the FDA.
California Ballot Initiative
Right to Know Goal: Mandatory labeling in the state of California for
foods containing GMOs
Strategy: Pass a ballot initiative in the 2012 California elections
Website:
www.carighttoknow.org
Description: In November 2011, a ballot initiative campaign was
launched on the West Coast to put a GMO labeling initiative on the
2012 California ballot. The California Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act would require food sold in retail outlets such as grocery stores (not including restaurants) to be labeled if it is produced
with genetic engineering. In addition to this disclosure, genetically engineered foods are prohibited from being advertised as “natural.” Although this act only addresses foods sold within California, advocates
believe that if the labeling of GMOs is mandated in California, this will
be the precursor to mandatory labeling in all of the United States. As of
April 2012, the campaign had received over 1 million signatures, well
above amount needed to put the initiative on the ballot in November.
Non-GMO Project
Right to Know Goal: Provide informed choice about GMOs without dependency on government action
Strategy: Leverage the marketplace to protect a non-GMO food supply
and give consumers an informed choice
Website:
www.nongmoproject.org
Description: The Non-GMO Project provides an immediate solution to
the threat of GMOs in our food supply through the labeling of foods
that are verified non-GMO, the development of North America’s only
standard for rigorous best practices
for GMO avoidance, and through education and outreach. The Non-GMO Project has partnered with the
Just Label It campaign and the California Ballot Initiative team in an advisory role and to help raise
awareness.
