Economic and Implementation Analysis of Oregon Measure 27 (PDF)

Ballot Measure 27 would amend Oregon state law to require labeling of certain foods as "genetically engineered." The measure spelled out seven conditions under which additional information would be required on food labels; food meeting more than one criterion may require multiple labels.

The organic food industry is seeking to make foods that benefit from biotechnology as expensive as those produced by organic farming. It is a shameful case of exploiting ungrounded public fears that Oregon voters ought to emphatically reject. (PDF)

Measure 27: Oregon’s War Against Biotech

About Measure 27

In November, the people of Oregon will vote on Measure 27, a labeling law that would create a complex labeling scheme for food products; impose burdensome red tape and regulations on family farmers, grocers, and restaurants; require a new state bureaucracy costing hundreds of millions of dollars; and force all Oregon residents to pay millions of dollars more each year in higher food and beverage prices.

According to the Oregon Department of Agriculture, Measure 27’s labeling requirements would apply to 500,000 different food and beverage products and menu items in grocery stores and restaurants. Many products would require special labels not required in any other state, creating an enormous headache for companies in Oregon and elsewhere that sell their products nationally.

Opponents of Measure 27 estimate it will cost the average Oregon family $550 annually in higher taxes and higher food prices. A cursory look at the bureaucratic and productivity chaos the measure would create leads this writer to believe that estimate may be too low. (Read Article)