GE Food Forum to Bring More Seattle Citizens into Labeling Debate

GE Food Forum to Bring More Seattle Citizens into Labeling Debate

 

SEATTLE—As part of Food & Water Watch’s national campaign to make the labeling of genetically engineered (GE) food mandatory, citizens across Seattle will attend the Right to Know GE Food Forum this Thursday to learn the facts about GE food and how they can get involved with the campaign to pass the Washington ballot initiative I-522.

Taking a lesson from California, Washington voters know they will soon be bombarded with ads paid for by Monsanto and other large agribusiness corporations trying to mislead them about I-522, the ballot initiative that will require the labeling of GE food. Voters are starting early this year to arm themselves with the facts and get involved with the ballot initiative process. With Whole Foods’ recent announcement to require labeling by 2018, GE food labeling continues to be a hot issue and this will be an opportunity for citizens of Seattle to learn more.

What: Right to Know GE Food Forum hosted by Food & Water Watch and the Yes on 522 campaign to learn the facts about genetically engineered food. The event will kick off with tabling from local groups and businesses followed by a panel discussion. The panel will include Trudy Bialic of the Yes on 522 campaign giving an overview of the issue, Micaela Preskill, State Advocate for WashPIRG, focusing in on the corporate control of our food system, Chris Bell, Sustainability Officer at Pike Place Fish, explaining the implications of the proposed GE salmon, and Joe Rogoff, NW Regional President of Whole Foods, expanding on the company’s recent decision to require GE labeling.

Where: The Forum will be hosted at the Greenwood Senior Center at 525 N 85th St Seattle WA 98103

When: Thursday, March 21. The event will begin at 7 PM and the panel will start at 7:30 PM.

Interviews available: Emma Boorboor, Seattle field organizer with Food & Water Watch is available to provide comment and additional background on the campaign. Panelists will also be available for interviews.

Food & Water Watch works to ensure the food, water and fish we consume is safe, accessible and sustainable. So we can all enjoy and trust in what we eat and drink, we help people take charge of where their food comes from, keep clean, affordable, public tap water flowing freely to our homes, protect the environmental quality of oceans, force government to do its job protecting citizens, and educate about the importance of keeping shared resources under public control. Food & Water Watch - Washington