AG Says More Campaign Money Hidden in I-522 Food-Label Fight

The No on 522 campaign, which opposed required labeling on genetically engineered foods, concealed $3.5 million more in campaign contributions than originally reported, says the state Attorney General's Office.

November 20, 2013 | Source: The Seattle Times | by

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OLYMPIA – A food industry group that contributed heavily to defeat a measure that would have required labeling genetically engineered foods concealed millions more dollars in campaign contributions than has previously been reported, the state attorney general said Wednesday.

An amended complaint against the Grocery Manufacturers Association increases from $7.2 million to $10.6 million the amount Washington says the organization collected from members to oppose Initiative 522 without complying with the state’s campaign-finance laws.

Attorney General Bob Ferguson sued the GMA last month, accusing the group of improperly collecting the cash in a manner that shielded the identities of the companies to protect them from scrutiny. The Grocery Manufacturers Association has since identified about three dozen companies that contributed millions to help defeat I-522. PepsiCo Inc., Coca-Cola Co. and Nestle were among those that contributed.

On Oct. 16, Ferguson accused the GMA of soliciting and collecting about $7.2 million from members to be used to oppose I-522. The organization did not report those funds to the Public Disclosure Commission, Ferguson said.

Under Washington law, Ferguson said, the GMA should have first formed a political action committee and followed Washington campaign-finance disclosure requirements before giving the money to the No on 522 campaign.

Two days after the lawsuit was filed, the GMA registered a committee and reported $7.2 million in contributions. In a statement Wednesday, Ferguson said GMA Against I-522 reported another $3.8 million in contributions in late October.

However, Ferguson said $3.4 million of that was collected before the political action committee was registered.

“Washington state voters demand transparency and openness in elections,” Ferguson said in a statement. “All sides must follow the rules by disclosing who their donors are and how much they are spending to advocate their views.”