Food Corporations Fight GMO Labeling Measure With Big Money
- Food and chemical companies are puting millions of dollars into efforts to block approval of a ballot initiative in Washington state that would make it the first in the United States to require labeling of foods containing genetically modified crops.
-Voters will have to decide whether many common grocery items containing ingredients from genetically altered crops should be labeled as such.
-Supporters of the labeling say that labeling foods made from genetically modified organisms (GMO) would provide information for consumers to make informed shopping choices.
-The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA), which represents more than 300 food and beverage companies, has put roughly $11 million into fighting the measure, or roughly half of the nearly $22 million raised by opponents of labeling, and that is more than what supports of labeling made, which was 6.8 million made.
A State Attorney General named Bob Ferguson said in a lawsuit filed Oct. 16 that the GMA illegally collected and spent more than $7 million while shielding the identity of its contributors.
The GMA spokesman, Brian Kennedy, stated "It would require tens of thousands of common food and beverage products to be relabeled exclusively for Washington state unless they are remade with higher-priced, specially developed ingredients," "The measure will increase grocery costs for a typical Washington family by hundreds of dollars per year."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/29/food-giants-pour-millions_n_4175592.html
