For related articles and more information, please visit OCA’s Genetic Engineering page and our Millions Against Monsanto page.

The chemical/pesticide industry and junk food companies spent nearly $70 million to defeat ballot initiatives in California and Washington that would have required the labeling of genetically modified (GM) foods.

Even with that amount of money thrown at campaign ads, the initiatives were only
just barely defeated, with voting margins of just over two percent in their favor. Labeling laws have now been proposed in more than two dozen states, and measures have already been passed in Connecticut and Maine.

These state GMO labeling initiatives are changing the game, forcing food manufacturers and the pesticide industry to face up to the inevitable: Americans want to know what’s in their food.

Industry Tries to Pre-Empt State Initiatives with Voluntary Federal Standard

The industry certainly does not want you to know what is in your food, and they are willing to do just about anything to keep it that way. You see, the GMO debate has never been a public debate at all in the US.

It has been purposely avoided, since the pesticide companies had to deal with the public backlash over a decade ago in Europe. They decided to keep this modification to our foods hidden here in America, and what a successful strategy it has been… until now.

Beginning with Prop 37 in California, and continuing with I-522 in Washington — they have finally engaged in the debate. And with each new piece of legislation introduced, the conversation is growing more public, more heated  and more in favor of transparency.

The junk food industry and the pesticide industry know they are losing their grip, and so they’re trying to jump in at the federal level to introduce a voluntary standard that would kill GMO labeling initiatives in every state in one fell swoop.