Three months ago, California voters struck down Proposition 37. The proposition, which was defeated 53-47%, would have required food and beverage manufacturers to clearly label products that contain genetically modified organisms—commonly known as GMOs. Opponents of the legislation led a $46 million dollar campaign to help ensure its defeat.
But now there’s a new battleground for the GMO labeling fight: Washington State.
As reported by Reuters, a group led by Seattle-based PCC Natural Markets has filed Initiative 522 (or I-522) to the state’s legislature, asking it to make Washington the first state to mandate GMO labeling. If lawmakers fail to act, the petition—with an estimated 350,000 signatures—will go to voters this fall as a ballot initiative.
As we’ve reported in past Earth Wise segments, GMO crops are engineered to resist pests and tolerate copious amounts of weed killer. In 2011, the USDA Economic Research Service reported that 88% of corn, 94% of soybeans, and 90% of cotton were grown from GMO seeds.
62 countries currently ban, restrict, or require labeling of genetically modified food. In the U.S., the Food & Drug Administration determined in 1992 that the labeling of GMO crops that were “substantially equivalent” to conventional crops was unnecessary.
However, some health, environment and consumer advocates believe GMOs can be harmful, both people and nature. Further analysis is needed to gain a better understanding of the health and environmental ramifications of GMO foods.
Web Links
Genetically modified food labeling measure to qualify for Washington state ballot
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/05/us-usa-food-washington-idUSBRE90402G20130105
Did California Voters Defeat the Food Movement Along With Prop. 37?
http://www.motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2012/11/what-we-learned-defeat-gmo-labeling-california
Photo, taken on October 24, 2012, courtesy of Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio. Support for Earth Wise comes from the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, NY, with partial support from the Field Day Foundation.