Food & Water Watch and California Right to Know are not giving up on the GMO labeling fight. Last year Prop 37, a major initiative by the latter group failed in the November ballot, after massive spending by industry groups committed to stop labeling. Since then, more than 30 states have proposed GMO labeling laws; Connecticut and Maine have passed those measures into law.
Wenonah Hauter, executive director of Food & Water Watch said in a statement, “the biotech industry’s latest marketing tactic is a website, GMO Answers, which vows ‘transparency’, but the industry has a track record of being anything but transparent. They spend millions in marketing and lobbying against popular GMO labeling efforts. Their control of patents has prevented research from being done on the long-term impacts of biotech crops and food products.”
The industry has been making claims that genetically engineered crops are safe. But advocates say that is not a replacement for labeling, which most consumers support.
California Right to Know points out that 61 countries have labels on their genetically engineered food. They also have sent a complaint to the Department of Justice about alleged fraudulent No on 37 campaign documents, including that group using the FDA’s name, seal, and authority without permission.
