Come November, California voters will have the chance to decide whether to require labels to appear on food made with genetically modified ingredients.

Back in November of last year, the Committee For The Right to Know teamed with others to submit the California Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act, which states that the purpose of this measure is “create and enforce the fundamental right of the people of California to be fully informed about whether the food they purchase and eat is genetically engineered and not misbranded as natural so that they can choose for themselves whether to purchase and eat such foods.”

The food label initiative needed 504,760, signatures which is equivalent to five percent of the total number of votes cast for governor in the November 2012 gubernatorial election, for a valid petition to qualify for the ballot. According to the Associated Press, supporters collected more than the half  million signatures needed for stronger labeling requirements.

According to a news release, Debra Bowen, California Secretary of State, on Monday certified the labeling of genetically engineered foods as the eighth measure to appear on the November 6, General Election ballot. The other seven measures on the ballot are a water bond measure, a political contribution measure, an auto insurance measure, a measure to repeal the State Senate District maps, a measure to repeal the death penalty, a measure to increase the crime penalties for human trafficking and a measure to revise the three strikes law.

If this passes come November, California will become the first state requiring labeling of foods containing genetically modified organisms. This will required that by 2014, processed foods must be labeled to alert shoppers the product has ingredients from plants whose DNA has been altered with, which will include most raw or processed foods made from plants and animals with engineered genetic materials. Certified organic foods would be exempted from the labels as well as meat and dairy products where the animals are fed with genetically engineered grains.

Organic farmers believe they will benefit from informing consumers. “Consumers have a fundamental right to know what is in their food and make choices, so I think everyone should be working toward this,” said Albert Straus, president of the Straus Family Creamery, a popular organic dairy in Petaluma, reports the Associated Press.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration states that the genetically modified food shows no more health risk but is considering a petition to label genetically engineered food nationwide.

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Monsanto, the world’s largest genetically engineered seed corporation, does not just want to dominate America’s food chain, but the world’s as well. The U.S. federal government has been pursuing Monsanto’s agenda by pressing Europe to support genetically modified (GM) foods.

In efforts to weaken the EU’s ban on GM crops, the Atlantic reported that Monsanto requested “renewed U.S. government support of Spain’s science-based agricultural biotechnology position through high-level U.S. government intervention.” Spain has always been a pro-GM member of the EU. Thus, with its increased support, Spain may be able to influence Europe’s steadfast opposition to GM foods. A  cable from the U.S. embassy in Madrid stated, “If Spain falls, the rest of Europe will follow.”

According to Natural Society, the United States will go against any nation who opposes the GM crops produced by Monsanto. Several nations, including France, that have decided to ban one of Monsanto’s GM corn varieties were said to have been penalized by the United States for their opposition.

This allegation can also by confirmed by the Guardian, which stated that Craig Stapleton, a business partner of former U.S. president George Bush, requested that Washington penalize, not just the EU, but all the countries which did not approve of GM crops consumption.

A Senior Farm Policy Analyst at The Cornucopia Institute, Mark A. Kastel, stated, “President Obama and Secretary of Agriculture Vilsack just sent a clear message to the American public that they do not care about our concerns with genetically engineered food and their questionable safety, adverse environmental impacts, and detrimental effects on farmers, especially organic farmers.”

Fox News reported that, Monsanto is selling “posilac”, a growth hormone, to farmers in order to make them inject it into their cows, with the perception that their cows would be able to produce more milk. However, when the cows did not respond to the posilac as the corporation hoped, Monsanto supplied farmers with antibiotics in order to save the sick cows from dying.

Currently, the U.S. is the only country where posilac is being used, despite knowing that 27 nations have banned its usage due to potential health hazards, such as accelerated puberty in children and increased cancer risks. Recently, a new study was released that shows how GM foods might be linked to organ damage in lab animals.

Monsanto spends millions of dollars each year in lobbying political figures and has spent around $200,000 on political donations in 2007 and 2008. The corporation is focused on expanding and strengthening its GM seed business, without acknowledging the health risks many are taking.

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