Issue link: http://cp.revolio.com/i/270856
Page 28 | Abby's Magazine - www.AbbysHealthAndNutrition.com and it basically said, 'The answer for agriculture isn't high tech, it isn't genetic engineering, it's not monoculture, it's not nanotechnology; it's a focus on agri-ecological approaches, looking at diversity, things on local scales.' What's interesting is the US and some of its allies in the industry walked away from this document toward the end because they didn't like what it was saying." Changing Public Consciousness Another major backlash against genetic engineering is coming from the public itself—thanks to rising consciousness. "Compared to ten or twenty years ago, people are paying a lot more attention to where their food comes from," Hansen observed. "There's a lot more concern as to what's in our food, and it's in that climate that you've seen both this move toward labeling and a backlash against GE. "Eco-labels have exploded; farmers' markets are everywhere. If you look at the state of agriculture, the economic problems are with the midsized farms growing genetically engineered crops. Folks doing organic and the small-scale farms doing fruits and vegetables are not at a loss; they're making money. In fact the demand for fresh foods has outstripped the supply. "Right here in New York City we now see all these farmers' markets, even in the South Bronx, even in poor neighborhoods. They've managed to work it so that food assistance programs for the underprivileged, such as WIC and SNAP, are today being accepted at farmers' markets. I think that's a good thing." Labeling As with food consumption trends, the public outcry for labeling has also changed dramatically in recent years. "There's an enormous difference compared to ten or fifteen years ago, or even five years ago," Hansen pointed out. "The labeling bills of the various states have been there for at least ten years. None of them have ever been able to move significantly—but this year they have. Those bills could never go anywhere in the past and they're going somewhere now." Many experts agree that general public awareness on the labeling issue began with the publicity surrounding California's Proposition 37 GMO Labeling Initiative in 2012. "That clearly did fire folks up, because even though they lost, they came awfully close, in spite of being outspent almost five to one," Hansen said. "The ironic thing is that when surveys were done of the people who voted no, it turns out 20 percent of them did so because they didn't think it was strong enough—but they wanted more things to be labeled." On the heels of the California initiative have come similar measures from other states. "We've seen the law pass and then get signed in Connecticut," Hansen reported. "The law has been passed in Maine, although it's not going to be signed until January; but even if the governor doesn't sign it in January, there were enough House and Senate votes to override his veto. Then in Vermont it has already passed the House and it goes to the Senate in January. If any of these states gets close to passing a bill that would then go into effect, I think what you'll see is a move toward the federal level; you'll see people come together to get national legislation." Big agriculture with its GMO mandate is now finally being beaten back. "The industry sees this and they're starting to freak out," Hansen concluded. "They can't control things like they used to be able to. I even notice a difference when I go to all the hearings—that industry is not getting the kind of deference they used to get." For genetic modification, the tipping point has definitely arrived.