California on the way to GMO labelling

A law addressing the labelling of genetically modified food could soon become reality in California. Insiders say this would have repercussions for the whole of America. At the moment, consumer protection organizations and critics of genetic engineering are outraged that big concerns, that have taken over organic brands, are pouring millions into a campaign opposing the Californian labelling initiative (Proposition 37). On 6 November 2012 there will be a referendum on the draft bill.
(Picture/ Rapunzel: Right-to-Know-March 2011)

Little more than a dozen of the big organic manufacturers in the United States are either still in the hands of their founders or are independent. Over the years, the majority have been taken over by the big food and drink corporations. The consumer is unaware that Coca-Cola (Honest Tea, Odwalla), Dean Foods (Horizon, Silk), Kelloggs (Kashi, Bear Naked, Morningstar Farms) and the like are involved – he doesn’t know who is behind the organic and natural product brands. (Picture: There are hardly any independent organic companies left in the USA)

Currently, the consumer protection group Organic Consumers Association OCA (175,000 Facebook fans), that is very powerful in the USA, and other initiatives are going to court to mount a massive challenge to these corporations. The companies are said to have donated around US$ 25m in their effort to put a stop to the activities of the “Prop 37” movement and, therefore, to prevent the corresponding labelling legislation in California. A list of firms and donations makes clear what a huge difference there is between the advocates and opponents of genetic engineering from the financial point of view. On the one side is the food and drinks industry with their US$ 25m and on the other the US$ 3m of a handful of independent wholefood and natural cosmetics manufacturers. (Picture: The list names the good and bad organic firms)

The consumer organization OCA is calling for a boycott of the firms making big donations. A further reason for a boycott is the fact that the organic manufacturers offer not only certified organic goods but “all natural” products that contain genetically modified ingredients which, however, they don’t declare. Contributions between US$ 350,000 and US$ 1.7m have been donated by food and drink companies, with the arch enemy of the organic industry, the GM seed giant Monsanto, heading the list with over US$ 4.2m. At the same time, OCA has directed a petition to the First Lady Michelle Obama urging her to remind her husband, the President, of his promise. During the election campaign in 2007 in Iowa, he made a promise about labelling: “We’ll let folks know whether their food has been genetically modified, because Americans should know what they’re buying.” (Picture: White House in Washington)

The online portal Newhope360.com of the publisher Penton defends organic manufacturers in the firing line and writes: “Organic companies are not the enemy.” It says that Silk Soymilk (belongs to the Dean Foods concern) is the main sponsor in setting up the GM-free region Boulder / Colorado. It points out that, together with Horizon Dairy, the biggest organic dairy in the USA (also Dean Foods), Silk urged people to support the national campaign “Just Label It”. In the autumn of 2011, this initiative submitted a petition calling for labelling to the highest food standards authority in the USA, namely the Food and Drug Administration. To date, this has been followed by around 1.2 million mailed comments by consumers, which is confirmation of what an emotionally charged issue GMO is. (Picture: Just Label it-advertising in Alfalfa organic-supermarket in Boulder/ Colorado)

Mark Kastel, the co-founder and head of the Cornucopia Institute, an organic industry watchdog in Wisconsin, is convinced that consumers will decide in favour of GM-free products when they have a choice. In an article by OCA Director Ronnie Cummins, he is quoted as saying: “The food industry is fully aware of this fact and that’s why they are fighting like the devil against the efforts of the grass roots movement (demanding a law on labeling - ed.).” The Californian initiative is also attracting so much attention because this federal state is one of the most economically powerful states in the USA and is the eighth biggest economy in the world.
(Picture: San Francisco)

A law on the labelling of genetically modified food could well have repercussions across the whole of America. Big manufacturers who reject this labeling have already declared that, in the case of mandatory labelling in California, they could not avoid similar labelling of their products containing GMO in all other federal states and Canada. Kastel assumes that will lead in the long term to firms converting to non-GMO ingredients in order not to damage their image.

Consumers would increasingly vote with their shopping baskets says Charlotte Vallaeys, who works at the Cornucopia Institute. However, as she points out, many people are not aware that behind the familiar organic and “natural” brands are companies that are currently spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to prevent the ballot in California having a successful outcome. The first big hurdle on the way to labelling legislation has been overcome: more than 800,000 signatures were collected within the timescale to make “Prop 37” the subject of a ballot on 6 November 2012. OCA writes that an up-to-date survey shows that almost 70 % of the population are in favour of labelling (Pepperdine poll: 69 % yes, 22 % no). It says that the issue is a battle between David and Goliath, between consumers, farmers and multis in the agricultural industry.

The Right-to-Know movement insists on the right of consumers to be informed about what ingredients foods contain. This protest movement sees itself legitimized by the results of studies that point to the negative effects of genetic engineering on the health of humans and animals, as well as on the environment. The consumer protection representatives at OCA, the Cornucopia Institute, the very active initiative Occupy Monsanto and many other initiatives have been working every day for many months to make sure consumers are informed. Across the whole of America, 90 % of consumers support the labelling of GM food.

The Prop 37 movement gets financial support from, among others, the independent firms Nature´s Path (cereals), Lundberg (rice, grain), Nutiva (sugar), Dr. Bronner´s (natural cosmetics), Eden Foods (wide range), Organic Valley (dairy) and Straus Organic (dairy). The Organic Trade Association (OTA, 6,500 members) supports the Californian and national Right to Know initiative, together with the research and lawyers’ organization Environmental Working Group (EWG) and others. In the estimation of insiders, the ballot in California really does have a good chance of success. We have to assume, however, that the battle between David und Goliath will not end there.