California's Prop. 37: Are GMO Labels a Scarlet Letter? | QUEST:
Audio Report by Amy Standen for QUEST Northern California on Sep 07, 2012
Proposition 37 could make California the first state in the country to require labels on foods made with genetically-modified ingredients. It’s shaping up to be one of the most contentious — and certainly the most expensive — battles on the state’s November ballot.
On one side are organic food groups that have spent about $3 million in support of the labeling law. On the other are biotech firms like Monsanto, and food giants like Pepsi, Sara Lee, and General Mills, which have contributed upwards of $28 million to try and keep GMO labels off food packages.
If Proposition 37 passes, you’ll see a change in nearly every part of the grocery store.
Take the cereal aisle, where Stacy Malkan with the "Yes on 37" campaign recently picked up a box of granola and pointed to the ingredients panel.
“Many of these products have corn syrup, cornstarch, sugar beets, and soy products that are genetically engineered," she said.
In the United States, up to 90 percent of those foods are grown from seeds that have been genetically modified. Scientists made changes in the plants’ DNA to make the crop, for example, resist pests, or stay fresh longer.
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