Editor,

The voters in our state will have the opportunity in November to require food manufacturers to label products they sell that contain genetically modified organisms, or GMOs.

This allows each consumer the ability to make informed decisions about what they purchase and consume.

As a Washington citizen, voter and consumer, I support Initiative 522, a citizens’ initiative to label GMOs. I’m also not entirely surprised to see that a handful of corporations are spending millions to defeat this initiative. Monsanto alone has already contributed more than $4.8 million to the campaign against I-522, where it will unleash an advertising campaign designed to frighten voters into voting against their own best interests.

Don’t fall for it!

If you like to eat food, please take a minute to think about why Monsanto would spend nearly $5 million to keep a few words off the list of ingredients on food products in our country. Foods with GMO ingredients are not even allowed in Europe but not so in the US, and soon you won’t even get to know which ones have it!

Washington voters have the opportunity to make history by standing up to consumer rights in this country, and keeping things transparent and allow for informed decision making. It’s a step in the right direction.

Please vote yes for I-522 in November. The future, and the future’s future, depends on it.

SHELLY ACKERMAN

Langley