I am profoundly disappointed in the Portland Press Herald’s editorial on GMO labeling in Maine (“Our View: There’s no reason for Maine to fast-track GMO labeling mandate,” May 4).
Your stand against L.D. 991 – which would allow Maine to require labels on foods containing GMOs, even if abutting states do not – seems ill informed.
Or is it something else? I know that the Grocery Manufacturers Association, which lobbies on behalf of the GMO giant Monsanto, has spent $280,000 fighting genetically modified organism labeling in Maine, including influencing the media. Did you know this?
You say that labeling would cause food costs to rise or make companies pull their products from Maine. This is clearly absurd. And Jerry Greenfield of Ben & Jerry’s has said that changing a label “costs essentially nothing,” that companies do it all the time. Were you aware of this?
H.R. 1599, a reintroduced bill that would create a government program prohibiting Congress or individual states from requiring mandatory labeling of GMO foods, makes your recommendation that Maine wait even more disturbing.
Time is of the essence. Consumers deserve to know, especially concerning the use of chemicals like glyphosate (made by Monsanto and known by the brand name Roundup), recently announced by the World Health Organization as a probable carcinogen, increasing lymphoma and chromosomal damage. Did you know this?
All people have the right to know what they are eating. Your argument pales in the light of transparency and food sovereignty.
I’m sorry to say, I see your “view” as profoundly ill informed. Or maybe it’s something else. If so, shame on you.
Once Mainers are more informed, I’m afraid the response will leave you with mud on your face. Maybe egg, too. If it’s GMO, let’s hope it’s labeled.
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