Youre at the supermarket doing your grocery shopping. As you move up and down the aisles, you notice something different: new labels on several of your staple food items. Pasta, cereal, chips, sweet corn and yellow squash all now have a distinct marking that says either genetically engineered or partially produced with genetic engineering.

How might this change your food choices?

In November, voters will have a chance to decide whether such information must be labeled on food products under Proposition 37. If passed, it would be the first such law in the U.S.

We dont know how or if it will change consumers approach to eating, said Lori Sinsley, deputy director of the California Right to Know Campaign. They can use the labels to make more informed choices about what they eat, which is how a market is supposed to work.

Genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, are crops that have had their DNA artificially altered with genes from plants, animals, viruses or bacteria. This type of genetic modification occurs in a laboratory and cannot be found in nature, Sinsley said.

Many processed foods are made with genetically engineered ingredients whether shoppers know it or not. Processed items commonly contain genetically modified corn, sweet corn, soy and canola. Even common produce items such as yellow squash, zucchini and papaya are genetically modified, as well as other crops such as cotton.

It is our fundamental right to know what is in our food, said Zuri Allen, social media coordinator for both Right to Know and the Organic Consumers Association. Its as American as apple pie.

There are exemptions in the initiative food derived entirely from an animal that hasnt been genetically engineered itself, regardless of the animals possible consumption of genetically modified foods; alcoholic beverages; and food intended for immediate consumption (as in restaurants). Producers of foods that are fully or partially genetically engineered and are not exempt would not be able to advertise their products as natural or naturally made.

I have children and I know that I have a right to know what Im buying and feeding to my family, said Susan Lang, a volunteer for Right to Know and co-leader of the Sacramento County group Label GMOs. California voters really need to ask themselves why the opposition doesnt want them to know whats in their food.

While genetic engineering can sound scary, its important to know that these foods are not made in a lab, said Stop the Costly Food Labeling Proposition spokeswoman Kathy Fairbanks. The seeds are genetically altered to use water more efficiently and resist pests. Some foods, such as the papaya, are genetically engineered to survive devastating diseases.

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Difficult choices in the produce aisle