Originally Published by Rodale
By Leah Zerbe
January 2013
http://rodale.womenshealthmag.com/cereal-gmos
http://rodale.menshealth.com/cereal-gmos
A new year means a fresh start, and what better place to start fresh than your morning bowl of cereal—the meal that greets many Americans each and every morning.
To help increase consumer awareness and hold companies responsible for GMO labeling, a national coalition has launched "GMO Inside," a campaign urging cereal giants Kellogg's and General Mills to label cereals containing genetically engineered ingredients, also known as GMOs. Better yet, the group wants the companies to take GMOs out of their products altogether.
Although GMOs have never been tested for long-term safety in humans, they're in many nonorganic foods, particularly processed foods like cereal that often contain genetically engineered soy, corn, and sugar beet ingredients. Most genetically engineered crops are developed so farmers can apply heavier doses of pesticides to the plants, something that's problematic given that the chemical of choice, Roundup (glyphosate), is systemic and winds up inside of the plants that we eat.
Read More: The 10 Best Organic Cereals
Here's how the GMO Inside coalition says you can help during January 2013:
Visit the group's Take Action website and sign a petition. You'll also find company phone numbers and Facebook links so you can air your concerns about unlabeled GMOs in popular brand-name cereals.
Direct consumer-to-company contact is gaining popularity, particularly since Prop. 37, a ballot proposition that would have forced GMOs to be labeled in foods sold in California, was defeated last November. "We have been completely blown away by the amount of consumer support the GMO issue has created," says Alisa Gravitz, President of Green America. "Since Prop. 37 was defeated in California in November last year, consumer action has only increased. I am completely inspired by the parents who are standing up against major corporations for the right to know what they are feeding their kids. Kellogg’s and General Mills represent just the beginning of what this coalition is prepared to take on."
