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It hasn't been a good week for Monsanto and the rest of the biotech
industry.

Just three days ago, Mexico
banned<http://www.theyucatantimes.com/2013/10/mexico-bans-gmo-corn/>
genetically
engineered corn. Citing the risk of imminent harm to the environment, a
Mexican judge ruled that, effective immediately, no genetically engineered
corn can be planted in the country. This means that companies like Monsanto
will no longer be allowed to plant or sell their corn within the country's
borders.

At the same time, the County Council for the island of Kauai passed a
law <http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/23707723/kauai-council-approves-controversial-gmo-pesticide-labeling-bill>that
mandates farms to disclose pesticide use and the presence of genetically
modified crops. The bill also requires a 500-foot buffer zone near medical
facilities, schools and homes -- among other locations.

And the big island of Hawaii County Council gave preliminary
approval<http://bigislandnow.com/2013/10/16/council-votes-to-restrict-gmos-ban-fracking/>
to
a bill that prohibits open air cultivation, propagation, development or
testing of genetically engineered crops or plants. The bill, which still
needs further confirmation to become law, would also prohibit biotech
companies from operating on the Big Island.

But perhaps the biggest bombshell of all is now unfolding in Washington
state. The mail-in ballot state's voters are already weighing in on
Initiative 522, which would mandate the labeling of genetically modified
organisms (GMOs). Knowing full well that 93 percent of the American public
supports <http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=97567> GMO labeling,
and that if one state passes it, many others are likely to follow,
entrenched agribusiness interests are pulling out all the
stops<http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2021941264_gmomoneyxml.html>
to
try to squelch yet
another<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ocean-robbins/monsanto-prop-37_b_2088934.html>
state
labeling effort.

This time, however, things aren't going quite as planned. On Wednesday,
Washington state Attorney General Bob Feguson filed a
lawsuit<http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/16/us-usa-gmo-labeling-idUSBRE99F19B20131016>
against
the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA). The GMA, a lobby for the junk
food industry, has been by far the largest donor to efforts to defeat the
labeling initiative. The lawsuit alleged that the GMA illegally collected
and spent more than $7 million while shielding the identity of its
contributors.

The source of the money has now been exposed, and it turns
out<http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattlepolitics/2013/10/18/pepsi-coke-nestle-top-multi-million-dollar-campaign-against-i-522/>
to
be Pepsico, Coca-Cola, NestleUSA, General Mills and a few other junk food
companies. The lawsuit
revealed<http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattlepolitics/2013/10/17/corporate-secrets-how-the-anti-522-campaign-was-planned/>
that
GMA leadership held a series of secret meetings to plot how to perpetrate a
money laundering scheme and illegally hide member donations from Washington
state voters, in direct violation of campaign disclosure laws.

Unlike the junk food companies that feared consumer backlash, Monsanto
hasn't even bothered to hide the more than $4 million the company has given
to the "no" campaign. In fact, GMA, Monsanto and a handful of other
corporate donors have now broken a state
record<http://blogs.seattletimes.com/politicsnorthwest/category/general-election/gmo-initiative/>
by
pouring more than $17 million into their effort to stop Washington's GMO
labeling ballot initiative.

Voting is already underway in Washington, and the final ballots will be
cast on November 5. The "yes" side is
ahead<http://www.seattlemet.com/news-and-profiles/publicola/articles/elway-poll-eyman-initiative-gmo-labeling-measure-hold-big-leads-september-2013>
in
the most recent polls, but supporters of the right to know fear that a
barrage of heavily funded and
misleading<http://www.inspirationsforchange.com/healthy-living/yes-522-misleading-no-on-522-commercials-analyzed/#.UmJCIWRgb0g>
ads
could sour voters to the initiative.

They remember that just last year, California's Proposition 37 was well
ahead in the polls until Monsanto and its allies spent more than $46
million<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ocean-robbins/monsanto-prop-37_b_2088934.html>
on
their campaign in the Golden State.

All this label fighting and money laundering leads to some very significant
questions. Why are Monsanto and the junk food industry willing to spend
many tens of millions of dollars every year trying to keep you in the dark
about your food? What doesn't big food want you to know? And what are they
afraid might happen if you did?

Monsanto tells us that their products are about the best thing to come
along since sliced bread. For years they've been promising that GMOs would
reduce<http://www.motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2012/10/how-gmos-ramped-us-pesticide-use>
pesticide
use, increase<http://www.alternet.org/food/why-monsanto-wrong-about-gm-crop-promises>
yields, reduce<http://www.ucsusa.org/food_and_agriculture/our-failing-food-system/genetic-engineering/monsanto-fails-at-improving.html>
water
consumption, and offer foods that are
more<http://www.biotech.iastate.edu/biotech_info_series/bio8.html>
tasty
and more <http://monsantoblog.com/2009/04/01/gmos-improving-nutrition/>
 nutritious.

I wish they were right.

But in the 20 years since GMO crops first came on the market, studies have
found that they have led to
higher<http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/02/us-usa-study-pesticides-idUSBRE89100X20121002>
pesticide
use, and no meaningful improvement in
flavor<http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/24/booming/you-call-that-a-tomato.html>
, nutrition<http://www.medicaldaily.com/nutritional-value-corn-does-gmo-corn-contain-same-nutrients-246496>
, yield<http://www.ucsusa.org/food_and_agriculture/our-failing-food-system/genetic-engineering/failure-to-yield.html>
or water<http://www.ucsusa.org/food_and_agriculture/our-failing-food-system/genetic-engineering/monsanto-fails-at-improving.html>
requirements.
Instead, what they've created are plants that are engineered to withstand
massive<http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.html?pagewanted=all>
dosing
of toxic<http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=weed-whacking-herbicide-p>
herbicides,
and plants that function as living pesticide factories. Monsanto's Bt.
corn, for example, is actually
registered<http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/biopesticides/pips/regofbtcrops.htm>
with
the EPA as a pesticide.

With concern about GMOs growing fast, and with the public being pummeled
with vast amounts of misinformation, there is a tremendous need for clear,
accurate and reliable information about GMOs. In response, the 100,000+
member Food Revolution Network and the Institute for Responsible Technology
are co-sponsoring a free online GMO Mini-Summit <http://www.gmosummit.org/>.
>From October 25-27, some of the top GMO experts on the planet will be
providing insights and clear calls to action in this teleseminar that is
also being broadcast without charge on the Internet. Monsanto probably
isn't too happy about the prospect of tens of thousands of people getting
informed and mobilized. But if you love life, safe food, and the truth,
then you might want to check it out. <http://www.gmosummit.org/>

And if you want to lend a hand to getting out the vote in the state of
Washington, you cansign up to volunteer
here.<http://yeson522.com/volunteer-for-yes-on-522/>

Nobody knows what's going to happen in Washington between now and November
5. But from Mexico, to Hawaii and to the 64 nations that already have GMO
labeling, this tide just might be turning.

Maybe we, the people, do get a say in what we know, and what we eat, after
all.


*Ocean Robbins is co-author of Voices of the Food
Revolution<http://foodrevolution.org/getvoices>,
and serves as adjunct professor for Chapman University and CEO and co-host
(with best-selling author John Robbins) of the 100,000+ member Food
Revolution Network. The GMO Mini-Summit starts October 25. Find out more
here. <http://www.gmosummit.org/>*
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