Anna Lappe: The Politics Of GMO's

Throughout October,industry leaders, educators and activists have combined efforts to further enlighten the public advocating mandatory GMO labeling. While the big agro-chemical companies continue to spread propaganda insisting that GM crops are good for the environment, the manufacturers of conventional foods are scrambling knowing that once mandatory labeling has been enforced, consumers will not purchase foods made with GMO’s.

“If you put a label on genetically engineered food you might as well put a skull and crossbones on it.” – Norman Braksick, president of Asgrow Seed Co., a subsidiary of Monsanto, quoted in the Kansas City Star, March 7, 1994

However, there is still a great need for education as the mud-slinging continues with the creation of clever manipulative and misleading surveys that are being published conveying a false message that consumers approve of GMO’s. It appears that this may be the case with an opinion survey conducted in Boulder County Colorado which was initiated by the Boulder County Parks and Open Space Division. Opinion surveys are frequently misused to influence opinion rather than assess it. This type of propagandizing is to be expected as more people become educated as far as the devastating impact of GMO’s not only on the environment but on their health.

Thanks to efforts such as The Right2KnowMarch.org, the message is reaching the masses. One of the key speakers involved with the march is activist Anna Lappé. Ms. Lappé is a widely respected author and educator, renowned for her work as a sustainable food advocate. Ms. Lappe is a founding principal of the Small Planet Institute and the Small Planet Fund and has for more than a decade been a key force in the growing international movement for sustainability and justice in the food chain. Stay tuned as host, June Stoyer talks to Anna Lappe about the politics of GMO’s.