For my officially last Washington state-side column, let's dig into something distinctly Washingtonian: Initiative 522. Perhaps you're not familiar with it yet. You will be soon. I expect the marketing campaigns for both sides of the argument to start ramping up any day now, gaining steam for the November Washington state ballot.
I-522 concerns the labeling of GMO's (genetically modified organisms) in our food. A vote 'yes' would require manufacturers to label any food products containing artificially modified genes. A vote 'no' would not. A vote 'no' would also give momentum to the biotech companies' push to establish GMO labeling as a violation of the manufacturers' first amendment “rights.” I don't know how that squares away in our legal system – oh wait, I forgot, in America corporations are people. For example, in 1994 Monsanto sued Vermont in Federal Court over the bioengineered Bovine Growth Hormone in their cows. Despite the growth hormone being linked to an increased rate of cancer, Monsanto won and was not required to label its products.
So boys and girls remember this, big food corporations have a natural and fundamental right to withhold information from their consumers, but as a consumer you can go to jail if you look too closely at what goes into your mouth. Any questions?
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