Prop 37 and the food movement: Why activists need to stop stoking scientifically baseless fears about GMOs for political purposes.

Keith Kloor on Delusions of Danger, at Slate

"...Michael Pollan is hoping that the food movement’s history-making moment will come tomorrow. Up to now, the food movement has been a broad, loosely knit coalition of foodies, environmentalists, and health advocates without a clear identity or much political clout. As Pollan wrote in 2010, the grassroots movement is united "by little more than the recognition that industrial food production is in need of reform because its social/environmental/public health/animal welfare/gastronomic costs are too high." But tomorrow, Californians will vote on Proposition 37, a ballot measure which would require labeling on most grocery store items containing genetically modified ingredients. If the measure passes (and withstands legal challenge), many think it will result in a de facto national label.

Pollan and other pundits are framing California’s vote as a big test for foodies. In an essay for the New York Times Magazine’s recent food issue, Pollan wrote that Proposition 37’s outcome will show “whether or not there is a 'food movement' in America worthy of the name—that is, an organized force in our politics capable of demanding change in the food system." Other influential voices, such as New York Times food columnist Mark Bittman, share this view. He recently wrote that Proposition 37 represented “the most important popular vote on food policy this decade.” Environmental groups, including Greenpeace and the Sierra Club also endorse the labeling measure; the National Resources Defense Council’s staff blog asserts, “California’s vote on Prop 37 will send a message to the FDA: Can we trust our food system?”..."

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