Food and Water Watch, Binghamton University student group IDEAs, and the Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter have organized a bus to a rally in Albany to push for mandatory GMO labeling in New York State.
“GMOs clearly pose serious threats to our environment and human health, yet most people are completely unaware that they are consuming them in their food,” said Erin Riddle, who chairs the Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter Farm and Food Committee in New York State and lives in Owego. “People across the state are gathering to tell elected officials in Albany that we have a right to know what we are eating and that we want food made from GMOs labeled.”
GMO refers to “genetically modified organism” and is a term to describe the process of genetic manipulation of plants. According to the Center for Food Safety, up to 93 percent of U.S. corn is genetically modified, as are 94 percent of soybeans and 96 percent of cotton (cottonseed oil is often used in food products). Estimates indicate that close to 75 percent of processed foods on supermarket shelves – from soda to soup, crackers to condiments – are made with GMOs.
Bills have been introduced in both the New York State Assembly and Senate (A. 617/S. 485) and consumer rights advocates, farmers, mothers, and environmentalists will gather in Albany on Tuesday, April 28. A bus to the rally leaves from the Oakdale Mall at 8 a.m. and returns around 6 p.m. the same day.
For more information or to order tickets, contact Erin Riddle at (607) 372-5503 or email to riddleriddle@gmail.com.
