California Right to Know Campaign urges Marissa Mayer, Jim Breyer: Support Labeling Walmart's Insecticide Sweet Corn and Prop 37

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Oct. 31, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- More than 50 people rallied in front of Yahoo! headquarters in Sunnyvale, California yesterday to call on Marissa Mayer and Jim Breyer, both Silicon Valley-based members of Walmart's Board of Directors, to support Proposition 37 and to ensure that Walmart respects consumers' right to know about genetically engineered foods.    

Walmart is selling Monsanto's genetically engineered sweet corn which contains the insecticide Bt toxin inside the corn. Proposition 37 would require the genetically engineered corn to be labeled so consumers can have a choice about whether to eat it.

"We're asking Marissa Mayer and Jim Breyer to do the right thing for California consumers – to label Walmart's genetically engineered sweet corn and to endorse Prop 37 because we have a right to know what is in our food," said Joyce M Eden, San Jose Area Volunteer Coordinator with the Yes on Prop 37 California Right to Know campaign.

The effort is supported by the United Food and Commercial Workers Union Western States Council, which has endorsed Proposition 37. "As a UFCW member and grocery worker, I support prop 37.  I want to know what I am feeding my family. I'm appalled that a company like Walmart would sell Californians corn with insecticide built-in and refuse to tell us," said Glen Raad, a grocery worker and UFCW member.

The two groups have bought advertisements online and in newspapers asking Ms. Mayer and Mr. Breyer to support Proposition 37, and they launched a website and an online petition at: www.MarissaAndJimTakeAStand.com

"Companies like Yahoo! and Facebook pride themselves on making it easier to share information. At the same time, Walmart refuses to give consumers basic information about what they're buying," said Eden.

Walmart, which sells roughly 25% of all groceries in the United States, announced this summer that they would begin to sell unlabeled genetically engineered sweet corn produced by Monsanto.

Monsanto claims the Bt toxins inside the corn will break down before the corn is eaten. Many have questioned the company's safety claims and a number of major groceries have said they won't sell the corn. Despite these concerns, Walmart is selling the product without a label indicating that it has been genetically engineered.

For more information on the campaign, visit www.MarissaAndJimTakeAStand.com.

SOURCE California Right to Know Campaign