I was disappointed, but not surprised at the Herald’s position against labeling GMO foods in Colorado (Oct. 17). Polls for decades have shown this to be a nonpartisan issue, with 80 percent to 90 percent of Americans wanting labeling.

Your call for the voluntary labeling of non-GMOs only is exactly what the food industry wants. GMOs need to be labeled like they are in 64 countries. American food producers happily label their GMOs in foreign countries but refuse to do so here; we are all participating in a gigantic food experiment, including newborns, who are given unlabeled formula full of the toxic chemicals. If you talk to many health practitioners, since these foods were introduced unlabeled into the food supply, many maladies have skyrocketed such as food allergies, gluten and other food sensitivities, intestinal and other digestive problems, obesity, etc.

Of course, GMOs should be labeled on the federal level, but with the USDA and the FDA stacked full of ex-Monsanto and ex-biotech employees, that is totally unlikely to happen, which is why as many as 40 different states are in the stages of getting GMOs labeled in the hopes it will pressure the feds at some point.

Many laws began as a “patchwork of state laws” before the federal government felt pressured enough to pass its own. One example is the seat-belt law. And, claims that food bills will go up are nothing more than industry propaganda. Cite one study where this is actually true. GMOs are labeled all over the European Union, and food prices did not rise.

Three states have already passed GMO-labeling laws, so this would not apply to only foods sold in Colorado. And since demand for non-GMO corn, soy and other products is skyrocketing, this could actually benefit non-GMO Colorado farmers. This is a matter of the right to know, freedom and liberty. This is not an anti-GMO stance, nor a ban, simply about transparency in labeling. Label GMO foods. Vote yes on 105!

Julie Meadows

Durango