As a concerned citizen and someone who is pursuing a passion for everything food and activist-related, I believe we have the right to know what is in the food we are providing for our families, as well as how that food was produced.

There are no long-term studies showing the lasting effects of genetically engineered food on animals, humans and our planet, but evidence suggests that there are significant risks associated with genetically engineered food because of the widespread use of pesticides that go along with these crops. Do we really want 2,4-D, a chemical component found in Agent Orange and also in some of Monsanto’s pesticides, on the loose in our soil and — even worse — in our bodies?

Organizations like Food & Water Watch are calling for labeling genetically engineered foods in Washington. It’s time that we put public health and the health of our planet ahead of greedy corporations. I deserve the right to know what I’m feeding my family and am asking for our government officials and residents of Washington to support the recently qualified WA I-522 ballot initiative in November this year.

Rachel Tomczek, Redmond