The following is an article from the NAFB News Service:
The majority of people in California voted against Proposition 37 – regarding the labeling of genetically modified food – on Tuesday – but advocates for labeling have promised their fight isn’t over. Most of this optimism from advocates comes from the fact their ballot measure received 4.3-million votes. Now they are collecting signatures to put a similar measure on the ballot in Washington state for 2013. Food Democracy Now Executive Director Dave Murphy says his group believes this is a dynamic moment for the food movement – and they are moving forward. The battle in California did have implications for the nation because it could have led to a reduction in the use of genetically modified crops – which account for more than 80-percent of the corn, soybeans and sugar beets grown in the U.S.
For this reason – food and biotechnology companies collected 46-million dollars to defeat the measure – while supporters of Prop. 37 raised 9.2-million dollars. Supporters say they have a right to know what is in their food and that genetically engineered crops have not been adequately tested. But the Food and Drug Administration doesn’t require labeling of food for the pure fact that it is genetically modified. The big question now is if food firms will make their own changes – such as voluntarily labeling or reducing the amount of genetically modified crops they use.
Source: NAFB News Service
Posted by Haylie Shipp
