Freedom of Choice

When my husband and I were dating (back in the day when smart-phones did NOT roam the earth), he was living in Jersey City.
Not the oh so desired downtown section people associate with Jersey City now.
No, there’s that section of the town, the Heights and then there’s the REST of Jersey City.
One afternoon, he was looking to pick up some food at his local market. Being a native of the city for many years, I had to object to this plan
In his area of the city, there is one major supermarket, but it’s downtown and not conducive for those with a relatively small grocery list & no car.
The ones closer to home were not as… desirable, so to speak.
Once we entered, his face fell.
He was shocked to discover that the produce was… less than appetizing, and expensive to boot. He was surprised. I wasn’t.
Bruised, squashed, overripe food that cost more than it was worth.
He wanted something else, something better. He kept asking, “HOW?!”
I said simply, “because they can.”
The store knew people had nowhere else to go, so they felt free to sell customers whatever they wanted, in whatever condition, at whatever price, because the local residents had nowhere else to go.
And the management knew it.

That’s kind of how I’ve been thinking about this whole Monsanto thing.
The idea that genetically modified ingredients for food have already been added to our groceries is unsettling.
The idea that they can add what they want and not have to inform the consumer is disturbing.
The idea that they practically have a monopoly on SO MUCH of what we consume is a little too “Big Brother” for my taste.

But the fact that the attitude is simply, “we will do with the food what we want, we DON’T have to tell you anything about it, you will BUY that food and there is NOTHING you can do about it”…

That’s the last straw.

I am NOT a fan of the idea that my mind gets made up for me. Ask anybody.
I don’t appreciate this.
I am willing to give up Oreo’s for this point.
OREO’S!
Because Nabisco is one of the many, MANY companies that oppose having to label their GMO-laden products and have donated MILLIONS to remain so.
Now, I have an app (Thanks, Buycott!)that helps me realize exactly HOW big this is. And my friends, it. is. BIG.

I’m not saying this is something I can fight by myself and make an impact. But if enough people in the world make it rough for these guys, maybe we get back our freedom of choice.

Because we can.