OCA: Road to Victory

VIEW THIS ISSUE ONLINE | SUBSCRIBE & Read Past Issues | OCA Homepage | Essay of the Week: Prop 37 and the Future of Food by Michael Pollan Michael Pollan – New York Times columnist and arguably the most influential food writer in America – weighed in yesterday in support of California's Prop 37 GMO labeling ballot initiative.   In his essay announcing his endorsement, Pollan talks about the growing food movement as an economic and a social movement, and then asks: Is it yet a political movement? Possibly. If Prop 37 passes, it could go on to change the political conversation around our entire industrial food chain – not just in California, but in the entire country. READ MORE California Update: Volunteers Needed on the Road to Victory With less than a month remaining until election day, Nov. 6, the mass media are reporting that Prop 37, the California ballot initiative to label genetically engineered foods and ban the routine food industry practice of marketing GMO-tainted foods as "natural," is likely on the road to victory. As a growing number of commentators point out, victory for the GMO right to know forces in California will have global consequences, dramatically increasing consumer demand for organic and non-GMO foods, and dramatically decreasing market share for genetically engineered foods and crops. But now is not the time for overconfidence. Monsanto, Big Ag, and Biotech are flooding the airwaves in California with $35 million worth of misleading ads and outright lies, designed to confuse California voters. Our two most powerful weapons are the alternative media (especially the internet and social media) and our grassroots forces on the ground, leafleting shoppers at supermarkets and contacting likely voters over the telephone. We now have 5,000 volunteers on the ground and on the phone, but we need 15,000 more to lead us to victory in these next four weeks. If you live in California, please volunteer to leaflet. If you live outside California, please volunteer for our upcoming phone bank to call registered voters in California. SIGN UP HERE Support the OCA and OCF Don't let $35 Million Kill GMO Labeling in California! The polls so far in California have been running strongly in favor of the YES on 37 campaign – but could $35 million in ads change that? Years ago, GMO right-to-know forces enjoyed a similar lead in an Oregon Ballot Initiate, but were defeated by a massive barrage of TV ads by Monsanto and corporate agribusiness. Could $35 million of ads, flooding the California airwaves, mean the end of GMO labeling in California, too? Thanks to the overwhelming response from organic consumers like you, the OCA and OCF have donated more than $1 million to the California Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act. Thank you to all of you – from all over the country – who have stood with us in this fight. For those who haven't joined in yet, now is the time. Early voting has already started, and in less than five weeks it will all be over. Please help us win this historic, grassroots-driven GMO labeling initiative by making a donation today. And please pass this message along to everyone you know who cares about food safety. Thank you! DONATE TO THE ORGANIC CONSUMERS ASSOCIATION (tax-deductible, helps  support our public education work against GMOs and chemical food, and our work on behalf of organic standards, fair trade and sustainable farming) DONATE TO THE ORGANIC CONSUMERS FUND (non-tax-deductible, but necessary for our legislative efforts in California and other states) Hollywood Celebs Join Our Campaign in California: Spread the Message No matter how much money Monsanto pours into the No on 37 campaign, it's never going to be able to find people who go to the grocery store looking for genetically modified food to eat and feed their families. If there were people like that, Monsanto would love the idea of labeling! But they just don't exist. There are organic consumers, locavores, and non-GMO shoppers, but there is just no such thing as a GMO-foodie. Monsanto may have more money, but we have the overwhelming people power. Early voting has already begun (it started Monday, October 8). In less than a month, the election will be over. Let's not be left wishing we'd done more to help everyone we know in California get the facts they need to vote Yes on 37. One easy thing you can do is to share the Yes on 37 ads. A new one just came out this week with Danny DeVito, Bill Maher, Jillian Michaels and many other celebrities who support California's Prop 37. WATCH AND SHARE New Studies Highlight Increasing Dangers of Pesticides They're everywhere. And they're making us – and especially our kids – sick. Two new studies out this week reveal just how pervasive pesticides are in our environment, and how they are wreaking havoc with our health. In the UK, the Institute of Science in Society issued a report titled: Why Glyphosate Should Be Banned. Glyphosate, the key ingredient in Monsanto's Roundup, has contaminated land, water, air, and our food supply, according to the report, which says the maximum permitted levels of Glyphosate are set to rise by100-150 times in the European Union if Monsanto gets its way. Another study, by the Pesticide Action Network North America, reports that more than 1 billion pounds of pesticides used annually nationwide have contributed to an array of health problems in youth, including autism, cancer, birth defects, early puberty, obesity, diabetes and asthma. READ THE INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE IN SOCIETY REPORT HERE READ THE PESTICIDE ACTION NETWORK STUDY HERE Food Babe to President Obama: Label GMOs! Did you see what Vani Hari of FoodBabe.com did at the Democratic National Convention? She grabbed a place near the stage in front of the TV cameras, and when Obama's USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack spoke at the convention, she held up a sign saying "LABEL GMOs". Vilsack – the former Biotech Governor of the Year – is responsible for the decision that allowed Monsanto to push its GMO alfalfa, sugar beets and sweet corn into the market – without labels. Vani Hari's action was captured live on TV and made national news. Afterward, she made an inspiring video about the experience. WATCH THE VIDEO HERE OCA Is on Pinterest! Check out our new Pinterest page for do-it-yourself resources and sustainable living projects, plus the latest news on organic food and gardening. Learn how to build a greenhouse – or how to help pass California's GMO labeling initiative. Want to share a great article from the OCA on organic gardening, or the future of food? Maybe your followers would be interested in a great photo from the Prop 37 GMO labeling campaign? Now you can Pin it! You can also help grow awareness of OCA and the work we do by letting your Facebook friends and Twitter followers know about our new account. Thanks! Little Bytes Essential Reading for the Week Ten Percent of Children Now Born with Neurological Problems: Pesticides Blamed by Report for Illnesses Organic Baby Food May Soon Contain Who-Knows-What The Fate of Humanity Is at Stake – Why Are Romney and Obama Too Cowardly to Talk About What Really Matters? Flu Shot Being Forced on Health Workers Beyond the Nov. 6 Election: Interview with Climate Crisis Leader Bill McKibben Message From Our Sponsors Eden Foods Offers OCA Customers 15% Discount Eden Foods is one of the few national organic food producers who goes beyond the USDA Organic Standards. Although Eden Foods is USDA certified, their products do not bear the USDA seal, because they say the USDA standard really represents a "minimum standard" that Eden Foods goes far beyond. As a subscriber to Organic Bytes, you can enjoy a 15% discount rate on any Eden Foods products by going here. LEARN MORE Connect With OCA! Facebook Pages: organicconsumers millionsagainst comingclean Twitter Feeds: @organicconsumer @againstmonsanto @OCA_comingclean More: rss feed youtube channel Please forward this publication to family and friends, place it on web sites, print it, duplicate it and post it freely. Knowledge is power! Organic Bytes is a publication of Organic Consumers Association 6771 South Silver Hill Drive - Finland, MN 55603 - Phone: 218-226-4164 - Fax: 218-353-7652 Subscribe & Read past issues and print- friendly PDF versions of Organic Bytes