Consumers have right to know.

• Author: Dagoberto</em>, <Em Class='B'>By Martin
• Position: Editorials

Byline: By Martin Dagoberto

Junk food companies and chemical manufacturers are spending millions of dollars to keep American consumers in the dark. Here in Massachusetts, we are on the brink of passing legislation that would require companies to label foods containing genetically engineered ingredients, also known as genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

However, Coca-Cola, General Mills and Monsanto, among others, are working tirelessly to block this legislation and prevent any light from being shed on their profits-driven food experiments.

The fact is, GMOs are everywhere. With at least 75 percent of processed foods containing GMOs, everything from salad dressing to breakfast cereals, cooking oil and almost every major baby formula brand contains them. While there are currently only nine commercial GMO crops, we should all be prepared for the more than 30 new engineered crops in development including apples, coffee and salmon. Let me be clear, unchecked, GMOs will continue to expand within our grocery stores and our diets.

Massachusetts Right to Know GMOs, of which I am the campaign coordinator, is a grassroots network made up of hundreds of small businesses and farmers as well as food, health and environmental activists, working to shed light on this important issue.

Those opposing GMO labeling argue that there is no evidence of health risks from consuming their products.

Conveniently, they fail to mention that the Food and Drug Administration does not perform or require safety testing of new genetically engineered crops. That's right -- GMOs are not currently required to be evaluated by the FDA before you and your family consume them.

If GMOs cause no harm, then how could an increase in transparency harm our food economy? Let's face it, these food producers are as concerned about the results of more potential testing as the American consumer should be, only for very different reasons.

Recently in Europe, nearly 300 scientists and doctors have signed onto a joint statement expressing serious health concerns regarding GMOs. In fact, among these signers was the developer of the first commercialized GMO crop. Additional independent testing has linked GMOs to digestive, immune and infertility issues as well as some...