Genetically Modified Organisms have existed and been part of our food since 1992 but we never even knew it.

It’s possible that you have not heard about GMOs growing up and that’s because manufacturers never had to tell you. So why now?

It is the work of small food advocates all over the world that have made it possible to label these GMOs on the products that use them. Some people today need no introduction, but if you are unaware, Proposition 37 takes a step back from whether or not GMOs are good or bad. This proposition is about our right to know what’s in our food.

Like the nutrition facts label that we see on 6.5 billion packaged foods, laws help inform consumers from what may be in them. Calories, fats, sodium, proteins and carbohydrates would not be known if not for these laws. We also would not know how our food affects our bodies.

In the short decade, GMOs have been in our system, the public has been the guinea pig for these new products. I need not argue the safety of the public, but without knowing how to track down these products how do we know if something goes tragic, how do we stop the spread of something unimaginable, if we do not know who made it and what’s in it?

It is the right of Americans to know what’s in our food. Since the passing of the Food and Drug act of 1906, Americans have passed nearly a century of laws that protect us from manufacturers profiting from our human needs. This is the same right which helped passed the 1990 Nutrition Labeling and Education Act.

Our food system has changed once again and we need new laws to inform us. Beyond just food, Americans will always uphold their right to know.