Readers React:  Bioengineered seeds of destruction

So much of the current debate on labeling foods containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs) focuses on the health impacts of eating that food. (“The legal nightmare of labeling GMOs,” Letters, May 10)

While this is the immediate issue for many people, it’s important to take a step back and look at why Monsanto and other producers of modified seeds are pushing farmers to plant their patented crops: because it enables farmers to spray their fields with herbicides such as Roundup without fear that this will kill off the crops.

The aggressive use of herbicides is destroying bee and butterfly habitats (the monarch butterfly population has been decimated by the use of Roundup and similar products on milkweed) and is polluting our air and water.

When we purchase GMOs, we are supporting a way of farming that maximizes the use of toxic herbicides. The issue of GMO foods isn’t just about what we’re putting on our tables, it’s about what we’re putting in our soil, air and water.

Mara Sperling

Los Angeles