The Right to Know

There are various groups out there fighting for your right to know. Freshwater Organics would like your help in supporting them. Use the button above to donate today. Thank you. - FT

The Right to Know Effort

Over the past year, the right to know effort has gained significant momentum. Through marches, rallies, petitions, social media, and targeted outreach campaigns, consumers are demanding that the government respect their right to know what’s in their food by labeling GMOs. In the United States, there are two major campaigns underway focused on GMO labeling policies: the Just Label It campaign and the California Ballot Initiative. The Non-GMO Project is working in partnership with these campaigns to bring awareness to the importance of consumers’ right to know and to demand policy change that will help protect the food supply in the future. Meanwhile, we’re maintaining a diligent focus on providing immediate consumer choice in the form of Non-GMO Project Verified labels for the products that have been approved through our third party program. We believe it is important to vote at the polls AND with our wallets–here’s how:

---

Just Label It
Right to Know Objective: Federal labeling (U.S.) for foods containing GMOs
Strategy: Petition to demand that the FDA label GMOs
Current Goal: Collect 1,000,000 signatures in support of petition to the FDA
Description: The Just Label It campaign launched in 2011 to advocate for the labeling of genetically modified foods. The outreach campaign supports an official petition calling on the FDA to label GMOs. They have joined with over 500 organizations (including the Non-GMO Project) representing millions of Americans to ask for the right to make informed choices about what they eat. As of February 2012 the Just Label It campaign had gathered over 750,000 signatures.

• Learn more about Just Label It
• Sign the petition to the FDA
• Watch the Just Label It Video

---

California Ballot Initiative
Right to Know Goal: Mandatory labeling in the state of California for foods containing GMOs
Strategy: Pass a ballot initiative in the 2012 California elections
Current Goal: Gather 800,000 signatures to place the Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act on the 2012 California Ballot
Description: In November 2011 a ballot initiative campaign was launched on the West Coast to put a GMO labeling initiative on the 2012 California ballot. The California Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act would require food sold in retail outlets such as grocery stores (not including restaurants) to be labeled if it is produced with genetic engineering. In addition to this disclosure, genetically engineered foods are prohibited from being advertised as ‘natural.’
Although the California Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act only addresses foods sold within California, advocates believe that if the labeling of GMOs is mandated in California this will be the precursor to mandatory labeling in all of the United States.

• Learn more about the California Ballot Initiative
• Get involved
• Get trained to help gather signatures

---

Non-GMO Project
Right to Know Goal: Provide informed choice about GMOs without dependency on government action
Strategy: Leverage the marketplace to protect a non-GMO food supply and give consumers an informed choice
Current Goal: Empower consumers to choose Non-GMO Project Verified food and products; keep growing our list of participating products and brands
Description: The Non-GMO Project  provides an immediate solution to the threat of GMOs in our food supply through the labeling of foods that are verified non-GMO, the development of North America’s only standard for rigorous best practices for GMO avoidance, and through education and outreach. The Non-GMO Project has partnered with the Just Label It campaign and the California Ballot Initiative team in an advisory role and to help support awareness raising. These partnerships ensure that we are impacting change both in the marketplace and through critical policy change.

• Find out which products are Non-GMO Project Verified
• Make a product verification request
• Follow the Non-GMO Project on Facebook

---

CURRENT LABELING BILLS:
Connecticut: H.B. No. 5117; find out more on CT NOFA’s GMO Resources page
Hawaii: In January 2012, 5 bills were introduced regarding GMO labeling. Click here for a full list of GMO labeling bills in Hawaii.
Vermont: H.722, the VT Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act

Washington: SB 6298 and HB 2637
Federal: House Bill 3553, entitled The GE Food Right to Know Act, is part of a package of bills introduced by Dennis Kucinich that would require companies to label genetically engineered foods. Kucinich has also introduced The Genetically Engineered Technology Farmer Protection Act, H.R. 6637, aimed at protecting farmers from being sued by biotech companies for patent infringement. Learn more.