On Monday, April 27, Rachel Parent, 15-year-old youth activist and national spokesperson for the GMO labelling campaign arrives in Summerland to raise awareness about the health and environmental risks of genetically modified organisms.
One of her goals is to motivate students to ask questions about their food and inspire them to take action.
When she was 12, Parent created kidsrighttoknow.com, a site with information about the impact and development of genetically modified food.
Her work has generated international attention from such organizations as the United Nations Global Youth Leadership Project and TEDxToronto.
She has also appeared in a televised debate with Kevin O’Leary on CBC’s Lang and O’Leary Exchange.
Last November Parent met with Health Minister Rona Ambrose and this past February she met with scientists from Health Canada.
There she asked direct questions about the genetically modified apple, their food assessment and approval process and GMO labelling — a practice that is already standard in over 60 countries but not within Canada or the United States.
In Summerland she will meet with Summerland youth to share her message of activism.
She will also be attending a Farm-To-Table event at Penticton organic restaurant The Wild Scallion where chef and co-owner Hong Lac will create a locally sourced meal of organic and non-GMO foods to highlight the abundance and economic importance of these foods in the Okanagan Valley.
Lac will also create an apple-themed dessert to be named in Parent’s honour.
Parent will be the keynote speaker at an event entitled, “What’s a GMO…and how does it affect you,” to be held at Summerland’s IOOF Hall, 9536 Main St., starting at 7 p.m.
She and a panel will discuss the science behind GMOs, the environmental impact of GMO produce and the consumer movement demanding the labelling of genetically modified foods. Further information can be requested at labelit@shaw.ca
