In just a few months, Washington state voters will decide whether genetically engineered (GE) food will require labeling — a referendum that’s being watched closely by anti-GE advocates throughout the country.
Initiative 522 will be decided by referendum during November’s elections. If successful, it would hoist Washington State up as the first in the country to pass the labeling law by way of popular choice.
Legislatures in Maine and Connecticut have both passed bills that would require labeling in their states, although measures have yet to come to fruition. Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy has signed the bill into law, yet a stipulation of the bill requires four other states, at least one of which shared a border with Connecticut, to pass similar legislation before any real action is taken. Maine’s bill has yet to make its way past the governor’s desk.
While both states’ measures were celebrated as victories by advocates against genetically modified organisms (GMO) in the food supply, the upcoming vote in Washington could bring about the change thousands have been rallying for.
It’s estimated that more than 80 percent of food found at a local supermarket contains GMO ingredients. While some cite studies linking GMO products to cancer and disease, others say they at least deserve the right to be aware of the contents of their food.
For many, the Washington referendum is a replay of 2012, when California residents were presented with Proposition 37, a ballot initiative that would have created a statewide law requiring GMO foods to be labeled. Despite the grassroots effort that led to the referendum, Proposition 37 was defeated.
Why? California voters were inundated by a heavily-funded “no” campaign. GMO giant Monsanto, along with companies like Hershey, poured more than $44 million to defeat the ballot initiative.
Those in favor of labeling raised just $7 million to get their message across. Chief among the arguments perpetuated by companies like Monsanto was one rooted in food costs. If California required labeling, companies would have to put extra money into adhering to the process, and costs would weigh down on consumers at the supermarket, they argued.
That argument is now playing out in Washington State. As the nation works its way out of the Great Recession, the mention of higher food prices is enough to make most people at least stop and think. Yet the coalition of those in favor of labeling are winning from a grassroots level: mothers, farmers and average residents are becoming aware of and fighting for the opportunity to know what is in their food.
The Washington referendum comes just months after an unprecedented global movement of protests sparked out against the GMO industry, with more than 2 million around the world taking part in the March Against Monsanto May 25.
Washington alone saw thousands take to the streets of Olympia and Seattle demanding labeling and calling for an end to what many see as a contamination of the food supply.