Fairness in labeling

I am one of the millions of Americans concerned about what is being hidden in my food. I am also one of the millions of Americans on a very tight budget. I want to eat healthy foods, but I simply can’t afford to pay twice as much for an organic avocado. This is why I’m an advocate for Initiative 522.

I want an even playing field. I want to be able to walk into the grocery store, pick up a box and know what’s really in it. The anti-I-522 folks, financially backed by Monsanto and Bayer, claim that the initiative is discriminatory, but it’s discriminatory now. The current market discriminates against the low-income families that cannot pay organic prices.

I cannot afford to buy macaroni and cheese that isn’t ridden with genetically modified organisms and other harmful ingredients. The “no” crowd also wants us to believe that I-522 will raise food prices. Really? How? Changing packaging is a normal cost of doing business, and a small one at that.

I do not want my family eating genetically engineered foods, and I want to have the right to know what I’m buying. Please join me in voting yes on I-522.

Amy McLean

Spokane