Washington State Rejects GM Labeling
Washington state voters have reportedly rejected a ballot initiative that would have required front-of-package labeling for genetically modified (GM) food products, seeds and other agricultural commodities. According to the Washington Secretary of State, 53 percent of voters ultimately opposed the initiative, which was hotly contested by consumer advocates, food companies, physicians, and farmers in the months preceding the November 5, 2013, general election.
Opponents of the initiative argued that GMO labeling would not only increase household food prices by as much as $400 per year, but would expose small farmers to “shake-down, bounty hunter law suits” as well as burdensome regulations. “This is a clear victory for Washington consumers, taxpayers and family farmers across our state,” said “No on 522” campaign spokesperson Dana Bieber in a November 5 statement. “Washington voters have soundly rejected this badly written and deceptive initiative.”
Meanwhile, major grocery retailers purportedly plan to continue their efforts to block state initiatives by preempting mandatory GMO labeling laws at the federal level. “In two consecutive years, there have been two different ballot measures in two different states that have been rejected by voters,” Louis Finkel, executive vice president for government affairs at the Grocery Manufacturers Association, told reporters. “We should understand now that labeling is not a political issue.” See The New York Times, November 6, 2013; NPR, November 7, 2013.
