SAN FRANCISCO -- The nation's largest agribusiness and
biotech companies are pouring millions of dollars into California to stop the
first-ever initiative to require special labels on foods made with genetically
modified ingredients, a sign of their determination to keep the measure from
sparking a nationwide movement.
So far, farming giants such as Monsanto, Dupont Pioneer and
Cargill have contributed nearly $25 million to defeat the proposal, with much
of that cash coming in the past few days. It's nearly 10 times the amount
raised by backers of the ballot measure who say California's health-conscious
shoppers want more information about the food they eat.
With nearly three months to go before the November election,
the measure's opponents appear to be following the previous blueprint developed
by major industries to defeat ballot initiatives in the nation's largest
consumer market: Raise large sums of money to swamp the airwaves with negative
advertising.
The tactic previously worked for the pharmaceutical industry.
And in California's June primary, the tobacco industry helped defeat an
initiative supported by cycling legend Lance Armstrong that would have raised
cigarette taxes to fund cancer research.
The food initiative, known as Proposition 37, is one of 11
statewide measures to go before California voters in November. It would require
most processed foods to bear a label by 2014 letting shoppers know if the items
contain
ingredients derived from plants with DNA altered with genes
from other plants, animals, viruses or bacteria.
If the proposal passes, California would be the first state
to require labeling of such a wide range of foods containing genetically
modified organisms, or GMOs.
It also could force a major production shift in the industry,
given that Californians eat about 12 percent of all food consumed in the U.S.,
said Daniel Sumner, an agricultural economist at the University of California,
Davis.
Supporters of similar legislation in more than a dozen states
say the intent is to give consumers more information about what they are eating
and to foster transparency and trust in the food system.
"It's an epic food fight between the pesticide companies
and consumers who want to know what's in their food," said Stacy Malkan,
media director for the California Right to Know campaign, which by Monday had
amassed about $2.4 million to promote the initiative, largely from consumer
advocates, organic farmers, organic food manufacturers and health food
retailers.
Major agricultural groups and the processed food industry
oppose stricter labeling, saying it risks sowing fear and confusion among
shoppers. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has said genetically engineered
crops, or GE crops, pose no greater health risks than traditional foods.
The latest influx of cash seeking to defeat Proposition 37
puts the coalition of farming groups, food producers, pesticide companies and
taxpayer organizations in a good position to fund media and mailers saying that
grocery bills would increase if the initiative succeeds, said Kathy Fairbanks, spokeswoman
for the No on 37 campaign.
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