Alice Waters, Mario Batali Endorse GMO Food Labeling

Along with casting their vote for the next president on Nov. 6, Californians also have a food-related issue that many chefs are focusing on: Proposition 37.

The proposition would require clear labeling of foods that are genetically engineered. And while many companies are against Prop 37, claiming it would increase cost on the consumer end, celebrity chefs, including Alice Waters, are voicing their support of the proposition.

"[Chefs] can't prepare the best food we know how when information about the ingredients we purchase is hidden from us with labels that are missing basic facts. This includes foods that are genetically engineered or contain genetically modified organisms (GMOs)," Waters wrote in an open letter on the Prop 37 campaign website, urging chefs to sign the chefs' petition in support of Prop 37.

So far, Mario Batali, Jacques Pépin, Cat Cora, Michelle Bernstein, Bill Telepan, Dan Barber, and Hugh Acheson have signed on, among others.

More than 50 countries reportedly already label genetically modified foods, and past studies have shown that GMO corn might actually have an effect on consumers' health.

However, the LA Times reports that between 85 to 95 percent of corn and soybeans have altered genes, saying there is little evidence that bioengineering, instead of selective breeding, is dangerous to consumers.

Meanwhile, Waters' petition claims that 90 percent of consumers want to know what is in their food. Voice your opinion Nov. 6.