PD Article: State Sen. Noreen Evans proposes labeling GMO foods in state

[Scott McKeown]

From the Pee Dee today.

As a member and officer of the Sebastopol Grange, I'm proud to point out that the California State Grange convention referenced in the article happened here in Sebastopol last October and was hosted by the Sebastopol Grange. Four members of the Sebastopol Grange are also officers in the California State Grange. Thank you, Noreen Evans.

Scott

https://www.pressdemocrat.com/articl...cles/140229942



State Sen. Noreen Evans proposes labeling GMO foods in state



Peter Breyfogle feeds his daughter, Katherine, 1, an organic package of pureed fruit and grains as Abraham Schroeder, left, feeds his son, Nathaniel, 8 months, a jar of organic pureed peas during lunch at Five Guys on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2014 in Petaluma. (BETH SCHLANKER / The Press Democrat)

By DEREK MOORE
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

February 20, 2014, 6:34 PM

State Sen. Noreen Evans plans to introduce legislation Friday that would require all foods containing genetically modified organisms to be labeled in California, a move sure to reignite a contentious and costly battle that the state's voters last weighed in on in 2012.

The Santa Rosa Democrat says genetically modified organisms have been linked to health problems ranging from allergies to cancer, and that babies, in particular, are at risk of getting sick, in part because their immune systems are not fully developed.

“For parents, it's important that they not have to rely on the food industry before deciding what they feed their children,” Evans said Thursday. “Parents should be able to make their own choices.”

Evans originally was planning to target only baby foods. But later Thursday, her staff announced that her bill has been broadened to require GMO labeling for all foods used for “human consumption” in California. That more closely mirrors Proposition 37, which voters rejected in 2012. The senator's staff said about 85 percent of all foods on store shelves in California contain genetically modified organisms.

Evans did not respond to a request seeking comment on the changes made to the proposed legislation. Teala Schaff, her spokeswoman, said the changes were made at the request of the California State Grange, which pushed for the original bill.

“It's still a consumer choice bill. She's always been a strong consumer choice advocate,” Schaff said.
Mike Greene, director of legislative affairs for the California State Grange, on Thursday attributed the last-minute changes to a “lack of communication between us and the senator's office.”

The grange has about 10,000 members in about 45 California counties. Greene said the organization passed a resolution at its annual meeting in October calling for GMO labeling on baby foods. He said in November, a coalition of 17 groups, including the Grange, Pesticide Action Network and Organic Consumers Association, amended that stance to call for such labeling on all foods sold for human consumption in California.

He said the group had four meetings with the senator's staff but that “they didn't understand we were no longer talking about baby foods. We were talking about all foods.”

That raises the stakes on the proposed legislation considerably. Anti-GMO advocates have been pushing for such labels for years, even though the federal government and many scientists say the bio-technology behind genetically modified organisms is safe.

Most grocers are opposed, on the grounds that such labels are unnecessary, confusing to consumers and likely to increase costs to produce new labels or ingredients to meet California's new restrictions.

“Every credible U.S. and international food safety authority that has studied GMO crops has found that they are safe and that there are no health effects associated with their use,” said Brian Kennedy, a spokesman for the Grocery Manufacturers Association.

He said the nation's food safety and labeling laws “should not be set by political campaigns, or state and local legislatures.”

Humans have been altering the foods they consume for millennia. The current debate centers on genetically modified plants that are engineered to resist insecticides and herbicides, add nutritional benefits or otherwise improve crop yields and increase the global food supply. Most corn, soybean and cotton crops grown in the United States today have been genetically modified.

The Food and Drug Administration does not require genetically modified foods to carry a label, and attempts to change that at the federal level have failed. No states currently require labeling of GMO foods, although Greene said bills are pending in 26 states.

In 2005, Sonoma County voters rejected a ballot measure that would have banned certain GMO products for 10 years, ostensibly to allow more time for testing.

All of that has not deterred organic food companies and some consumer groups from continuing their push for labeling. Whole Foods Market is requiring all products sold in its stores in the United States and Canada to carry labels indicating whether they contain genetically modified ingredients by 2018.

Karen Hudson, coordinator of the group Sonoma County Label GMOs, said people “really don't know what the repercussions” of serving foods with genetically engineered ingredients are. With respect to infants, she said it's important parents be given the choice of knowing what goes into the products.

She said she doesn't view it any different than disclosing whether foods contain gluten, trans fats or known allergens. “All it is saying is it has GMO in the food,” she said.

The issue is whether such labeling should be mandatory.

Abraham Schroeder of Petaluma said he doesn't believe it's completely necessary, even though he's more likely to buy foods that specify the ingredients.

He and his wife, Kati Schroeder, choose foods labeled organic or non-GMO for their 8-month-old son Nathaniel, who also gets breast milk.

“We've been genetically selecting food for millennia. Everything we eat now is the result of thousands of years of cross-breeding and modification,” Abraham Schroeder said. “That being said, I like to know what's in my food.”

Another Petaluma father, Peter Breyfogle, said he doesn't know whether “there's an actual risk” tied to genetically modified organisms in food. Still, he and his wife, Marian Hughes, are opting to feed their 13-month-old daughter, Katie, foods that are labeled organic.

“Consumer choice is important, and knowing what you're looking at when you make that choice is great,” he said.

However, UC Davis Professor Martina Newell-McGloughlin said consumers would interpret GMO labels on foods as a warning that the products are unsafe, when she said there is no evidence of that.
She said since the introduction of modern bio-engineered crops in 1994, Americans have consumed about “two trillion” meals containing the organisms without suffering “one single documented incident of any adverse effect.”

“All food has been genetically modified to one extent or the other over the last 1,000 years, and especially, the last 100 years,” said Newell-McGloughlin, director of Life and Health Sciences Research Initiatives and International Biotechnology Program at UC Davis.

Critics of Prop. 37, which was defeated by six percentage points, argued that it would be a payday for lawyers suing to enforce violations.

Greene said Evans' legislation would only allow people to collect attorney's fees, and no damages.
He said her bill also clarifies that food manufacturers — and not retailers — are responsible for disclosing whether foods contain genetically modified organisms. It also does not cover foods consumed by animals.
“People want to know what's in their food, and that's about it,” he said.

(You can reach Staff Writer Derek Moore at 521-5336 or [email protected]. On Twitter @deadlinederek.)

[wescounty]

In my opinion, it is about time Noreen Evans Does Something Worth While before she leaves office . . .

[BobHeisler]

Despite the powerful food preparers lobby in the state, that would be great for California. If a measure like that passed, it could have the kind of clout similar to vehicle emission standards. California's market is so huge that it would make sense to food preparers if the entire nation adopted a similar policy.

Bob

From the Pee Dee today.

As a member and officer of the Sebastopol Grange, I'm proud to point out that the California State Grange convention referenced in the article happened here in Sebastopol last October and was hosted by the Sebastopol Grange. Four members of the Sebastopol Grange are also officers in the California State Grange. Thank you, Noreen Evans.

Scott

https://www.pressdemocrat.com/articl...cles/140229942



State Sen. Noreen Evans proposes labeling GMO foods in state

[Valley Oak]

Would this be the first legislation of its kind in the whole nation? If so, as noted above, it could have a domino effect in other jurisdictions, including other states.

[CSummer]

There is legislation in process in Vermont (again) and a couple other states.

Would this be the first legislation of its kind in the whole nation? If so, as noted above, it could have a domino effect in other jurisdictions, including other states.

[Mudwoman]

From the Pee Dee today.

As a member and officer of the Sebastopol Grange, I'm proud to point out that the California State Grange convention referenced in the article happened here in Sebastopol last October and was hosted by the Sebastopol Grange. Four members of the Sebastopol Grange are also officers in the California State Grange. Thank you, Noreen Evans.

Scott

More PROGRESS on the LabelGMOs Journey.... (from Pamm Larry)

The unimaginable happened today - SB 1381 California's GMOs Labeling bill made it out of the Health Committee!

[Yay! More info below. ~ Barry]

I will write more tomorrow but wanted to send out this note of thanks to all who have worked so diligently and tenaciously.

First off to Jessica Denning the Sacramento Leader. It was her vision and leadership that got this whole puppy rolling. She has been a beacon of positive energy, never giving up, always there to selflessly do what needed doing and doing it beyond well.

Diana Rude, our lobbyist, is a quiet yet powerful force in the Capitol. Her knowledge of the inner workings has been beyond valuable to moving the bill forward in our ever so beautifully effective, unmeasurable, grassrootsy ways that make huge impact. And to the rest of the Sac Leg Working Team...thank you, bless you!

Susan Lang from Sacramento gave an incredibly powerful speech in her testimony. Blessings to the power of inspiration and Trust in our Voice. What a force of nature!

To the Californians For GE Food Labeling Coalition who worked together after healing woundings from Prop 37. So proud of the team work we did to move forward after all that went on...and to overcome all that, work together and share this....great stuff.

Thanks to the Phone callers - we made HUGE impact with all the calls. Thanks to all of you (and there were lots of you) who got your volunteers to make calls. All the calls in the days beforehand were definitely noticed. And today... there were a few senators that did not make the first round of votes....Cheri from Hollywood, Mary and Tarah in Santa Cruz and Diana Reeves from GMO Free USA jumped on it and got folks calling the offices to ensure that we got our Senators there. Wow. So amazing to feel this network we have created to unite and get the job done.

To Senator Evans for her commitment to this issue. To the work of all of you out there that got co-authors (Yamada, Levine, Delsalnier, Pavely). To Senator Wolk who had huge cajones and voted yes, even though she represents MonsantoLand (Davis and Woodland)...and to the team in Napa for visiting Wolk yesterday, Karen Hudson for getting folks to call.

I want to thank those who showed up today and for those who wait in the wings for future hearings. You being there today and in the future puts a face on who we are. Senator Evans noticed that the main opposition speaker's hands were shaking. We are getting to them. We make a difference.

My biggest takeaway...a remembering that when we unite as One, we are beyond powerful!! It's time for us to flex those muscles. There's work to be done, but we can do it. This is different and takes a different mindset. I think it'll be less work overall, but work nonetheless in our tenacity to make our voices heard. Our connections, our willingness to show up at a few crucial points will move this state to label GMOs.

I'll write more on next steps. But for now...thanks to all of you. You make this old woman so proud and honored to be part of such an amazing group of people I have grown to love and appreciate so very, very much.

You rock!

Let's ....keep on swimming!

Pamm Larry, LabelGMOs

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SB 1381 - Californians for GE Food Labeling


“This is an inevitable wave of change,” said Grant Lundberg, a third generation rice farmer, CEO of Lundberg Family Farms and former co-chair of the Proposition 37 initiative campaign. “The effort has come full circle to California. The new straightforward bill is an even simpler, clearer version of Proposition 37. It would simply require food sold in California grocery stores to be labeled IF it contains genetically engineered ingredients.”