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Murashige, Laura P1 COUN czL
From: Victoria Gershik[vgershik @gmail.com]
Sent: Monday, December 05, 2011 6:22 PM (-)
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v Subject: Support labeling of GMO testimony -Aloha and Mahalo- Communication 480
Dear Madams/Sirs,
I am very grateful to have the opportunity to write to you and add testimony to the pending vote on
GMO labeling in the State of Hawaii.
First off I want to applaud our state government for having this vote, taking the issue of GMO labeling
seriously, and giving the people of Hawaii a say in whether our food is labeled GMO or not.
The freedom to label food GMO has only recently been made much more easy this year in July because
there will no longer be legal opposition to labeling from the World Trade Organization(see quote and
link cited below). This means this is the perfect time and the perfect year to be able to vote on this issue.
My hope is that you will choose to vote on mandating labeling of GMO foods. I am in support of
labeling foods GMO. As a health-conscious and sensitive individual I choose very carefully what I buy
in the stores. I read the nutrition labels and the ingredients. Imagine we didn't have that information on a
package of food? Maybe you have a relative or friend who is allergic to nuts or dairy products. Now
most products list if they have been made in a factory that processes nuts so that a person with a nut
allergy can be aware of whether the item will possibly cause an allergic reaction. My grandma has high
blood pressure. I make sure to buy things that have very little sodium. Without such a label I would not
know which product would be better for my grandma. I enjoy having that information because it allows
me to make the best decision for myself, my family and friends.
This is what I want from GMO labeling. I want to be able to have a choice to buy or not buy GMO
foods. There is some scientific evidence that GMO foods are not healthy for us and have health side
effects. This can always be debated and will continue to be debated. But the question for your vote is not
whether GMO food is good or bad. While the debate goes on, I'd still like to know what I am eating. The
question is can I know what's in my baby's food or in my bag of rice?If not, then why? What is there to
hide? If GMO is okay then why not yell it out from the rooftops? This concerns me as well. I do not feel
confidence in these companies for this and many other reasons.
I also am aware of the environmental concerns of cross-pollination of GMO plants with non-GMO
plants in the field and have concerns for the environmental implications. Maybe I don't want my dollar
supporting GMO foods. I should be able to have that choice just as we have the choice to buy a car made
in Germany versus a car made in the USA.
My confidence for the produce sold in the USA has honestly gone down. More and more I see that I ��
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want to grow my own food because I am not comfortable with the way companies are growing our food.
This vote is not only about food or GMO, it's about trust in our government, our people, our world. If we
are not trusted with information about where our food comes from how can we expect to trust where our
food comes from.
Pd love to have confidence in my government and in you, and I do. That's why I am writing today. I
have confidence that my email makes a difference. We are all on this island together. We are all on this
planet together. No man, no government, no island is an island and no GMO is an island too.
Please vote yes for labeling GMO foods.
Thank you,
Sincerely,
Victoria Gershik
Pahoa, HI 96778
Consumers International (CI) and its member organisations celebrated
victory today as regulators from more than 100 countries agreed on long
overdue guidance on the labelling of.genetically modified (GM)
food.The Codex Alimentarius Commission, made up of the world's food
safety regulatory agencies, has been labouring for two decades to come
up with consensus guidance on this topic. n a striking reversal of their
Gprevious position, on Tuesday, during the annual Codex summit in
i
Geneva, the US delegation dropped its opposition to the GM labelling
Cguidance document, allowing it to move forward and become an official
odex text.
The new Codex agreement means that any country wishing to adopt GM
food labelling will no longer face the threat of a legal challenge from the
World Trade Organization (WTO). This is because national measures
based on Codex guidance or standards cannot be challenged as a
barrier to trade.http://www.consumersinternational.org/news-and-
media/news/2011/07/gmlabelling-victory-as-us-ends-opposition
Some reasons why GMO labeling is important to consumers like me:
http://www.naturalnews.com/031436_GMOs_food_labeling.html .
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