In response to the “Vote Yes on I-522” op-ed in The Beachcomber recently, (“Know what’s in your food, vote ‘yes’ on I-522,” Oct. 9) who could possibly be against better labeling and consumer information? I’m not a big seed or chemical company, and I don’t work for one, but I can think of a few reasons to vote no on I-522.

Like you, I’m a consumer, so I’m interested in what’s in my food. But I’ll vote no on I-522, and here is my reasoning. The bill creates a new layer of government to oversee the new labeling and claims. This results in, among other things, more taxes that will cost us our hard-earned dollars.

Instead remember that companies are marketing to you, and smart ones are always researching what you want. When you wanted gluten-free foods, companies created and labeled products to meet that demand. The same goes for many other fads and fashions in foods, such as no cholesterol, no high-fructose corn syrup or low fat or low sodium foods. Will there be deceptions in labeling? Yes, and there are already laws to deal with false advertising. While you are waiting for companies to relabel products, it is highly likely you will suffer or die of something other than genetically engineered foods.

Although we all want the purest foods and to make the healthiest food choices, genetically engineered foods clearly need more study before creating a government- supported panic against them. If you’ve lived long enough, you’ve seen the cycle of government standing judiciously against eggs, for instance, only to be on the wrong side of that issue a decade later. The same is true of many other foods and issues.

Keep government in its place — keep it small — do your own research, and ask companies to point out non-genetically engineered foods.

Vote for sanity. Vote no on I-522.

— Leslie Carda