No Frankenfoods in Ukiah.

Mendocino County passed the first anti-GMO law in the US on Tuesday.  Even though it will not have any immediate effect on that county (since no one is growing GMO crops there), this result is huge.  Just getting this issue on the ballot is huge.  In Europe, of course, there has been an immense anti-GMO movement, but American appetites have  consistently favored whatever is the cheapest product without regard for its origin.  After all, if GMOs were so unsafe, our government would protect us, right?  The FDA approved GMOs a decade ago.  That’s why the passing of the Mendocino initiative is truly remarkable.  Here is mainstream America embracing the precautionary principle even in the face of clear government opposition.   Maybe there were just enough copies of Fast Food Nation circulating in town or maybe they read about the Bush administration’s plan to serve irradiated meat to seven-year-olds.  Whatever it was, this group of Americans drew a line in the sand to protect its food.  Doubtless, they will be blasted as having an irrational fear of technology and ignorant of the fact that GMOs will solve world hunger and improve the quality of our food (remember, the billions Monsanto stands to make is just incidental to these lofty goals).