For Immediate Release

Contact:

Larry Cooper, Right to Know Colorado, tel 720.467.0189, lcooper@journeysforconsciousliving.com

Steven Hoffman, Compass Natural Marketing, tel 303.807.1042, steve@compassnatural.com

From Tractors to Strollers: Coloradans Call for GMO Labeling

Right to Know Colorado Hosts August 4 Rally & Press Conference at State Capitol in Denver to Submit Signatures for GMO Labeling Bill on Statewide Election Ballot

Right to Know Colorado Ballot Initiative #48 to label GMO foods – which will turn in more than 100,000 signatures to qualify for the statewide fall election – is advocating for Coloradans’ right to know how our food is made – and for the freedom to choose for their own families based on accurate information, consumer transparency and truth in labeling.

DENVER (July 30, 2014) – The Right to Know Colorado Ballot Initiative #48 to require mandatory labeling of genetically engineered or GMO foods sold in the state will host a Rally and Press Conference on the West Steps of the Colorado State Capitol Building in Denver on Monday, August 4, 2014, 9:30 am – the deadline to turn in the number of signatures needed to ensure the bill is on Colorado’s fall statewide election ballot. The public and media are welcome to attend the rally and media event.

Event Summary

Rally & Press Conference on behalf of
Right to Know Colorado ballot initiative to label GMO foods

Monday, August 4, 9:30 am

Colorado State Capitol Building, West Steps

200 E. Colfax Ave., Denver, CO 80203 (Map)

The purpose of the rally is to inform the media and public – and mark the official submission of more than 100,000 signatures to the Colorado Secretary of State in time to meet the fall ballot deadline. The signatures, more than the 86,105 required, were collected by more than 500 volunteers and circulators to place the GMO labeling bill on the fall ballot.

Reflecting a July 2013 New York Times poll showing that a vast majority (93%) of Americans are in favor of mandatory GMO labeling, a recent independent survey in the state of Colorado shows that 75% of Colorado registered voters would vote yes to require labeling of foods made with genetically engineered ingredients sold in the state.

Featured speakers at the rally will update Coloradans on the GMO labeling movement in the state, and discuss what is happening around the country.

Speakers at the Rally Include:

  • Robyn O’Brien, Author of The Unhealthy Truth and Founder of Allergy Kids
  • Alan Lewis, Director of Government Affairs and Organic Integrity, Natural Grocers
  • Larry Cooper & Tryna Cooper, Lead Proponent & Campaign Lead, Right to Know Colorado
  • David Murphy & Lisa Stokke, Directors of Food Democracy Now
  • Marcy Goetz-Than, Health Advocate and Volunteer
  • Tammi Deville Merrell, Health Advocate and Volunteer
  • Shannon Ridge, Health Advocate and Volunteer
  • Cheryl Gray, Lead Proponent, Right to Know Colorado; Director, Seeds of Doubt
  • Steven Hoffman, Communications and Fundraising Director, Right to Know Colorado

Following the Rally, campaign volunteers and supporters will march to the nearby Colorado Secretary of State office in Denver to deliver the petitions for the GMO labeling initiative.

About GMO Labeling

With no federal GMO labeling requirements in place in the U.S., it is estimated that more than 80% of conventional processed foods contain genetically engineered ingredients, primarily from GMO corn, soy, canola, cotton, sugar beets and other GMO crops. However, according to national GMO labeling advocacy organization Just Label It, more than 90% of U.S. consumers surveyed want mandatory labeling of GMO foods. While pro-biotech interests claim that GMOs are safe, a growing body of scientific research suggests there may be enough risks to justify the need for consumer transparency. More than 64 other countries require mandatory labeling of genetically engineered or GMO foods. Colorado joins more than two dozen other states, including Oregon, Arizona, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania and elsewhere, in calling for GMO labeling legislation. Mandatory GMO labeling laws were recently passed in Vermont, Maine and Connecticut.

About Right to Know Colorado

Right to Know Colorado GMO is a grassroots campaign to achieve mandatory labeling of genetically engineered foods or GMOs across the state. Right to Know Colorado is built on the foundation that we have the basic right to know what is in our food and what we are feeding our families. The campaign gives Coloradans the opportunity to make informed decisions about their diet, health, and general lifestyle. Food labels list and describe nearly every detailed component of the food product, from the caloric values and processing information, to the fat and protein content and the known allergens. Adding a simple label for GMO ingredients would fulfill Colorado consumers’ right to know, enabling them to make educated food purchases and dietary choices for themselves and their families.

For more information visit www.righttoknowcolorado.org, or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RighttoKnowColorado.

To view the Colorado Right to Know Initiative 48 ballot title to label GMOs as approved by the Colorado Supreme Court, visit https://www.sos.state.co.us/pubs/elections/Initiatives/titleBoard/results/2013-2014/48Results.html.

To contribute, visit here, or contact Steven Hoffman, Compass Natural Marketing, steve@compassnatural.com, tel 303.807.1042.

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