On Monday, Sept. 17, Robinson Ave. was teeming with members of the Women Occupy San Diego (WOSD) in their protest to support Proposition 37.
The proposition, which will be voted upon in this year’s election, is to force companies to label their foods with either “Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO)” or “Non-GMO”.
“What they do is they take these bacteria that are antibiotic-resistant…and pesticide-resistant, so they stuck those genes in soy and into corn which kill the insects and ‘weeds’…but it goes into our bodies as well. So these bacteria are in our guts and essentially doing damage because they are antibiotic-resistant and pesticide-resistant,” Norrie Robbins said, a WOSD member who handles the publicity for group events.
If passed, the proposition will require companies to label their foods appropriately and accurately. It will prohibit labeling of foods as “natural,” force labeling of raw or processed foods if they are intentionally grown with genetic materials changed, and will do so only with the exception of certified organic foods.
Robbins hopes that it will benefit the health of society overall, even those who are possibly allergic to the foods.
“This is really personal for me. I’ve been getting allergies, really strange allergies, that no one else in my family have had,” Robbins said. “It started in about 2002, and then I’d started reading about genetically modified foods that have been going into our mouths since 1999 and that sort of made sense to me that it ten years, I became sensitive to strange things in the last ten years.”
Those hormones affect allergies, asthma, organ failure and even diabetes.
As a result, Prop. 37 will bring more safety to California citizens in grocery stores, according to its supporters.
“Just label it so you can just pick up a package and have it say ‘no-GMOs,’” Robbins said.
Some brands, including one in Vons stores, already have labeling, but only on an optional basis. If passed, it will affect the state and the many agricultural staples here that also affect other states.
“Other states usually go along with it and follow because a lot of the country’s fruit and vegetables are from California,” Robbins said.
The protest was organized in two weeks following a meeting by the WOSD.
The event was a group effort and consisted of numerous longtime political activists, many of which are from Woman Occupy, who are also speaking out against Proposition 32, Wal-Mart expansion and other issues.
To contact the group about upcoming events and causes, visit Women Occupy San Diego atwww.womenoccupysandiego.org.
