8/12/2019 Article of the week. Monsato

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AoW 34

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2. Show evidence of a close reading. Mark u the te!t with "uestions and#orco$$ents.3. Write a one%age reflection on your own sheet ofaer.

Monsanto doesn&t want you to know what you&re eating'he (iotech industry is working to revent $andatory la(eling for foods with geneticallyengineered contents

Source: )ack *aldveer and +onnie ,u$$ins- Alteret.org

'he (iotech industry- led (y Monsanto- will soon descend on the state of

Washington to try its (est to defeat /%022- a citiens& (allot initiative to re"uire

$andatory la(eling of foods that contain genetically engineered 5 ingredients.6oters should reare the$selves for an onslaught of discredited talking oints-

nonsensical red herrings- and outright lies designed to convince voters that they

shouldn&t have the right to know what&s in the food they eat.

'oing the (iotech industry&s roaganda laylist will no dou(t (e this old

fa$iliar tune: that re"uiring retailers to verify non%M7 ingredients in order to la(el

the$ will(e(urdenso$e and costly- and the additional cost will (e assed on to

consu$ers who are already struggling to feed their fa$ilies.

8laying to consu$ers& fears of higher food costs $akes good strategic sense-

esecially in tough econo$ic ti$es. 9ut the argu$ent doesn&t hold water- say food

$anufacturers and retailers who already have syste$s in lace for verifying non%M7-

as well as r9%free- trans fat%free- country of origin and fair trade. 'he syste$ involves

using chain%of%custody- legally(inding affidavits- not e!ensive testing.;We have used the affidavit syste$ reeatedly- without undue (urden or cost-< said

'rudy 9ialic- director of u(lic affairs for Seattle%(ased 8,, atural Markets. 8,,- the

largest consu$er%owned natural food retail co%oerative in the =nited States- uses the

affidavit syste$ to ensure its chocolate isn&t $ade using child slave la(or- its dairy

roducts don&t co$e fro$

ani$als su(>ected to r9 hor$ones- and that all seafood was harvested using

sustaina(le sources andractices.

'rader ?oe&s- a rivately held chain of nearly 4@@ =.S. stores- confir$ed that the

co$any&s rivate la(el roducts- under the na$es 'rader ?oe&s- ?ose&s and Ming&s- are3M7% free- though the co$any doesn&t la(el the$ as such. /n an e$ail- a co$any

sokeserson said:

;When develoing roducts containing ingredients likely to co$e fro$

genetically $odified sources- we have the sulier of the roduct in "uestion erfor$

the necessary research to rovide docu$entation that the susect ingredients are fro$

non%M7 sources. 'his docu$entation is in the for$ of affidavits- identity%reserved

certification of seed stock- and

third%arty la( results fro$ testing of the ingredients in "uestion.