Echo Park grocery shoppers weigh in on Prop. 37

A California farmers market. Photo by Robert Couse-Baker via Flickr.

Proposition 37, which would require the labeling of all genetically modified foods in California, is one of the more emotionally charged measures on the Nov. 6 ballot. Proponents say consumers have a right to know what’s in their food, even if there’s no conclusive proof that genetic engineering poses health risks. Opponents include big biotech companies, soft drink manufacturers and food processors who could be financially hurt by the measure, as well as critics who agree with the spirit of Prop. 37 but call it arbitrary and sloppily written. The initiative has become the subject of a bitter, expensive battle with national implications. You can find a positive take on Prop. 37 here, and an Los Angeles Times editorial advising voters to reject it here.

Last weekend, KCRW producer Evan George staked out a Vons supermarket in Echo Park to find out what shoppers think about Prop. 37. He found a wide range of opinions, from a woman who says her yes vote is a “no brainer” to a man who predicts the measure will lead to lawsuits and dismisses it as “just something that’s going to make lawyers wealthy.” Listen to them, and others, below and tell us what you think.