The Oregon Labeling of Genetically-Engineered Foods, Measure 27 (2002) - Arguments in Opposition

Measure 27 - Arguments in Opposition:



Measure 27 Would Create
a Regulatory Nightmare
for Oregon Restaurant Owners Measure 27 would force Oregon restaurant owners to provide special warning labels with thousands of menu items served each that aren't 100% "organic." Organic food companies are promoting the labeling scheme, to try to give themselves a competitive advantage over conventional food producers.

State officials estimate regulating
restaurant food labels will cost
nearly $9 million a year. State officials estimate the Oregon Department of Agriculture will have to monitor more than 400,000 menu items served in Oregon restaurants, actually auditing 100,000 of those items, then sampling and testing 20,000 of them. State restaurant monitoring and inspections will cost the state nearly $9 million per year with nearly $3 million in start-up costs.

Measure 27 would also cost restaurant owners millions more. Restaurants would face a complicated new burden ­ special record keeping and research to track and determine the origin of virtually every product or ingredient used in any dish we serve. Staff time and costs would be passed on to Oregon consumers through higher prices. On top of that, we'd face huge fines and even jail terms if we accidentally use the wrong labels.

Many basic foods would require costly labels. Basic food items like bread, dairy products, meats and many beverages, would require Measure 27 labels reading "Genetically Engineered," even if they don't contain any genetically engineered ingredients. The labels would be useless. They are just intended to scare consumers away from "non-organic foods" -- even though they are just as safe as "organic" products.

On behalf of all the members of the Oregon Restaurant Association, I urge you to say NO to the Co$tly Labeling Law.

Please Vote NO on Measure 27. Bill McCormick, President
McCormick & Schmick's Restaurants

(This information furnished by Bill McCormick, Oregon Restaurant Association.)


Measure 27 Shifts Funds from Short-Changed Schools
to Pay for a Meaningless New Food Labeling Bureaucracy.One Teacher's Concerns about Measure 27. As a teacher, I'm painfully aware of how Oregon's economic slump has forced budget cuts in schools across the state, including where I teach.

At a time when Oregon is struggling to find funds for schools, Measure 27 proposes to create a new state bureaucracy ­ costing taxpayers more than $118 million over the next 10 years ­ to put meaningless labels on foods that aren't 100% "organic."

Schools Would Have to Put Labels on Food and Beverages Served in School Cafeterias, Vending Machines and Concession Stands To add insult to that injury, Measure 27 is so poorly written that it would require schools like mine to label foods and beverages served in the school cafeteria, in vending machines on school property and at concessions stands during athletic events.

Measure 27 is another example of initiative activists forcing Oregon voters to decide on an innocent-sounding proposal with huge, hidden impacts on government programs, taxpayers and consumers.

When Oregon's economy is sour, proposals like this are even more damaging. School costs make up nearly half of state budget expenditures. So nearly half of Measure 27's costs are likely to come from funds that otherwise would be available to pay for teachers, textbooks and testing ­ all of which have been cut in the current budget crisis.

Measure 27 Is a Right-to-Learn Issue Backers of Measure 27 claim it's a right-to-know issue, but in fact the information on the labels it requires would be misleading and useless to consumers. I think of Measure 27 as a right-to-learn issue. I believe my students have a right to an adequately funded education. Their right to learn should be the state's top funding priority ­ not some new bureaucratic program designed to further one group's political agenda.

Kraig Hoene
High School Social Studies Teacher

(This information furnished by Kraig J. Hoene.)

• The Environmental Protection Agency, Food and Drug Administration and Oregon's Department of Agriculture manage the Federal system of food safety through intense, continual scrutiny. Thousands of university-based, publicly financed research projects provide basis for protection of food and fiber supplies.
• The consequential loss of jobs, livelihood and tax revenue adds burden to the remaining taxpayers to carry the burgeoning costs of a la carte ballot measures such as Measure 27. By Department of Agriculture estimates, Measure 27 will add $118 million to our already oversized general fund expenses through 100,000 inspections and by adding 60 new staff positions.
• 4. Consumers would pay higher food costs. In fact, a recent study estimated that Measure 27's labeling scheme would cost an average family of four an additional $550 a year
• Studies show that, by forcing many common food products to be repackaged or remade with higher-priced ingredients, Prop 37 would cost the average California family hundreds of dollars more per year for groceries.
• Ultimately, consumers will pay for this through higher costs at the grocery store. In fact, a separate economic study concluded that forcing products to be repackaged or remade with higher priced ingredients would cost the average California family up to $400 per year in higher grocery costs.
• The average family of four would be forced to shoulder an average of $500 in additional food costs each year and could be as high as $800 per year. (New York)

Alan McHughen | GMO Answers

Alan McHughen | GMO Answers:

"Dr. McHughen served as a Jefferson Science Fellow at the US Department of State and as a Senior Policy Analyst at the White House."

This review is from: Pandora's Picnic Basket: The Potential and Hazards of Genetically Modified Foods (Hardcover)
The author Allen McHughen promises the reader an unbiased view on GM, especially the potential and hazards or risks associated with it. In the end however, he clearly explains the benefits, but belittles the REAL problems of GM which he avoids. It is a gross manipulation of the truth. He is funded by MONSANTO, a totally pro GM company whose products have ruined farmers in India. He calls all the hazards of GM mere myths - invented by the media. He fails to address any hazards and tells only half the truth. How can he provide an unbiased viewpoint when he has genetically modified food himself? If you read VERY carefully between the lines you will realize he contradicts himself several times. The uncareful reader is easily swayed by his complex yet empty arguments into thinking that GM is only good and has no risks. It is just a book of lies!!

In the mid-1990s, tomatoes genetically engineered in California were made into a tomato paste that sold well in England. But the tomatoes were short-lived. Photo: Alan McHughen. (Next Meal)

Alan McHughen faces strong criticism from the website Lobbywatch, which notes that McHughen's "booklet 'Biotechnology and Food' was published by the American Council for Science and Health, which has been described as an 'industry front group that produces PR ammunition for the food processing and chemical industries.'"[3] (Sourcewatch)

Who’s afraid of the big bad GMO?

By: Alan McHughen on January 21, 2013 |

Prince Charles and Junk Science

Just mention “GMO” (genetically modified organism) and some people run scared – why? GMOs are products of technologies developed during the 1970s and 1980s that allow researchers to take DNA (i.e., genetic information) from any plant, animal or microbe and combine it with the DNA of any other plant, animal or microbe. The resulting transgenic organism (e.g., a bacterium with a human insulin gene inserted) remains essentially identical; however, it now expresses insulin per the example or whatever the new trait of the inserted DNA is.

Each fellow receives a stipend from the U.S. Department of State for living expenses for a full year; additional funding is available to each fellow for travel associated with his/her assignment. In addition, fellows continue receiving salaries and benefits from their home institutions. After the fellows return to their institutions, they remain available as consultants to the State Department for an additional five years. (SeedQuest)

McHughen argues that many of the concerns about genetic engineering are based in reality on "myths" and "misinformation". McHughen has even claimed, "Opponents to GM put forward untenable pseudo-scientific assertions, then run away, unwilling or unable to defend their positions." (PowerBase)

"[Organic] Crops aren’t healthier or safer" - "RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Many organic supporters are willing to pay exorbitant costs for organic foods. They claim that organic food is worth sometimes double the regular price because it is, among other things:
* “Natural,” grown without pesticides or antibiotics
* Better tasting, fresher
* Nutritionally superior
* Grown in an environmentally sustainable manner.
But is there scientific proof from independent, nonorganic food industry-funded studies to support these claims? Let’s investigate some of the popular organic folklore." (Alan McHughen, Kansas City Star)

Link List:

• McHughen Hangout: (2012)
• Alan McHughen Teaching a class (Video)
• Research Gate (Articles)
• Facebook
• Facebook Group (member)
• Genetic Engineering and Testing Methodologies
  Alan McHughen, ANR publication 8190 - PDF
• Biotechnology and Food - Prepared for the American Council on Science and Health (ACSH 2000)
• Regulatory challenges reduce opportunities for horticultural biotechnology

Iowa farmer visits Southern Oregon to discuss GMO-related health concerns | DailyTidings.com

Howard Vlieger's presentation "excerpts" in Seattle, WA Sept. 2013. (Presentation Playlist)

An Iowa farmer who claims pigs exposed to genetically modified organisms suffer more ailments than other animals will speak in Ashland next week in support of a local campaign to ban GMOs here.

Howard Vlieger, of Maurice, Iowa, conducted experiments in which a group of pigs was fed corn and grain treated with GMO herbicides and a control group wasn't. The pigs exposed to GMOs showed digestive, immunity and reproductive problems, while the control group didn't, he said.

As a result, the GMO group needed more antibiotics for E. coli and botulism, he added.
Vlieger, who has conducted studies over the past 20 years, will give presentations Tuesday and Wednesday, Jan. 28-29, throughout the Rogue Valley. He is being sponsored by GMO-Free Jackson County, a campaign to support a May ballot measure that would mostly ban GMOs locally.

Read More: Iowa farmer visits Southern Oregon to discuss GMO-related health concerns | DailyTidings.com




Sacramento Grange meeting Wednesday January 22


Howard Vlieger's CA/OR Event List

• Wednesday, January 22, 7 p.m. - Sacramento
• Thursday, January 23, 7:30 p.m. - Roseville
• Friday, January 24, 6:30 p.m. - Fair Oaks
• Saturday, January 25, 10 a.m. - Sebastopol
• Saturday, January 25, 3 p.m. - Santa Rosa
• Sunday, January 26, 2 p.m. - Windsor
• Sunday, January 26, 7 p.m. - Petaluma
• Monday, January 27, 1 p.m. - Fortuna
• Monday, January 27, 6 p.m. - Eureka
• Tuesday, January 28th, 2pm, Plaisance Ranch, Williams
• Tuesday, January 28th, 7.30pm, Student Union - Rogue River Room, Southern Oregon University, Ashland
• Friday, January 29th 3pm, RCC Campus, Grants Pass
• Friday, January 29th, 7.30pm, Medford Public Library, Medford 
• Thursday, January 30, 10 a.m. - Yreka
• Thursday, January 30, 4 p.m. - Chico
• Thursday, January 30, 7:30 p.m. - Oroville
• Friday, January 31, 6 p.m. - Laguna Woods
• Saturday, February 1, 11 a.m. - Redlands

Moms Across America Director Zen Honeycutt's Speech on GE Labeling

Capitol Steps Jan 6th CA State Grange Rally 

Thank you! Good Morning!

How many of you have been volunteering since Prop 37? How many of you marched in the Moms Across America Marches on the 4th of July? How many of you care about what you eat?

First of all I want to say I am truly honored to be here today with all of YOU. Whether you have just started or have been doing this for years, you are what makes America great. You are America’s heros. Also, without you who came before me, the health of my family Todd, Ben, Bodee and Bronson, would not be what it is today. So we thank you very, very much.

I am here today because of love.  

We are all here because we love our families, our communities, our freedoms, our environment, our dogs and cats, our bees and butterflies. 

We love our farmers and we have FAITH in our farmers. 

We have faith that they can and will farm as has been done for thousands of years, 

without GMOs containing foreign proteins and the use of toxic chemicals. 

We have faith in Californians. 

Californians do not back down! 

We will not give up. 

Our love for our families will never end. 

We insist on GMO labeling now!

Some may say that it is not likely, but that doesn’t concern us. After Prop 37, which was a win in so many ways…my son Ben said “Mom, even Star Wars took six episodes.” And they had Yoda!  Our children are our inspiration and that will never end!

My son went GMO free and organic for 4 months and his life threatening allergic reactions were drastically reduced. This past year, his nut allergy decreased from a 19 down to a .2. This is not just about an allergy; this is about LIFE and the people we love.

It is not enough that our family eats organic, however. My son’s future spouses are out there somewhere and if they want to, I want them to be able to experience the profound love that it is to have their own child someday. Today, young couples have a 30% “failure to conceive” rate. That is the lowest in recorded US history.  Everyone needs to know about GMOs!

I asked myself what could I do? Inspired by Jeffrey Smith’s “Tipping Point Network” and Robyn O’Brien’s Patriotism on a Plate” I thought of 4th of July Parades. We could reachthousands locally and millions nationally in a single day. And it would be fun! With the partnership of the CA State Grange and support of Pamm Larry, Kathleen Hallal and many more, I founded Moms Across America and the March to Label GMOs in 4th of July parades. What happened was amazing.

Leaders from all across America emerged. Moms and supporters said, “I am the one who will have a group march in my 4th of July parade and educate my whole town know about GMOs.” And they did. In 172 parades in 44 states, generous, committed people made banners, signs, and floats and sang as they marched down Main streets all across America. We directly reached an estimated 1.5 million people and tens of millions more through the 120 media venues: radio, websites and newspapers, which picked up the story including CNN and Fox News. It was an empowering gathering of community which has helped to grow our cause and raise awareness about GMOs. Our food system may be broken but the people are not. We are creative, courageous and committed and we make a huge contribution to others by sharing with love.

Since the 4th of July parades we have received hundreds of stories, such as: Karen’s son went from daily use of an inhaler to never having to use an inhaler again after switching to an organic diet.

Cindy’s son switched to organic for two years ( and she is a single Mom who makes 40K so this was not easy, but it was important)  and this year when he entered high school,  NOT ONE of his new high school teachers could tell he was ever severely autistic.

His life is dramatically improved. Who knows how our country will benefit by the contribution this one person will make? He has, WE have a NEW future because his Mom found out about GMOs.

The projected level of autism is predicted to be 1 out of 2 of our children in the US within the next 20 years or sooner. That is half our children. What kind of society will we have? What kind of future and economy will we have if our children’s futures are compromised? We Moms say, not on our watch! We will not stop! The love for our children will never end. We want a new future NOW!­­­­

 We demand GMO labeling now so that the millions of people who still don’t know about GMOs can have the ability to take care of the families they love. Moms see that GMOs ARE substantially different and our kids get better when we get them off GMO foods. We demand that people of ALL economic backgrounds have access to GMO free and pesticide free solutions and we have faith in our farmers that they can provide them.

How many of you think that most people really don’t want to know about GMOs and pesticides because it’s too inconvenient? Let’s check in. How many of you know someone with diabetes, obesity, asthma, auto immune disorders, allergies or autism? 

Look around. I assert everyone really wants to know about GMOs because everyone knows someone in America who is sick. 1 out of 2 of our children have some form of chronic. 1 out of 2 of our American men and 1 out of 3 American women are expected to get cancer…so everyone WANTS to know about GMOs and pesticides because we have enough problems & we want solutions! We want a new future now!

So what can we do? Be a leader and inspire leaders! Join us in the celebration and sign up to host a 4th of July parade by Feb 14th “Share the Love, Sign Up your Parade Day” so we can have sponsors support the printing of the GMO flyers to pass out at the parades. 

Be the one to say, MY TOWN WILL KNOW about GMOs. 

Give them a new future. 

Go to momsacrossamerica.com and host one of the 75 parades in California and 589 parades on our list across the USA. Adopt a “Sister City”, another town with a parade, and call and connect with other , moms in the Moms Club, La Leche League or Holistic Moms Network, share about GMOs and support and foster new leaders! When we get outside of our comfort zone, we will win.  

We can reach 600,000 in California and 5 million people in the USA in a single day. We are called “consumers” AND we are also the creators of our future. The future belongs to YOU. The future belongs to me. The future belongs to US. This is OUR time for health and freedom in California and America! Thank you!

Go to www.momsacrosamerica.com for more information. Thank you.

Howard Vlieger & Pamm Larry Upcoming Events in Washington State!

Grassroots Volunteers for I-522 & Washington State is Proud to Welcome

Howard Vlieger - Iowa Farmer and GMO Crop Expert &
Pamm Larry - Initial Instigator of Prop 37 in California

Howard and Pamm will be touring the state during the month of September educating the public about GMOs and talking to folks about I-522 and the importance of labeling. Please see the schedule below and come join us for one or more events. Also, feel free to share the calendar and list of events to local groups, family, friends, etc!

SPECIAL EVENT with Both Howard & Pamm!

~ Sunday, September 15th - 6-9pm! ~
Special Event for Howard & Pamm w/ Local Volunteers & Organizers
Where: Blakeley Manor - Community Room - 2401 NE Blakeley St, Seattle 98105
What: This will be a GMO-Free potluck and party to honor Howard & Pamm for coming to our fine state to educate people, support labeling and ballot initiative 522. ALL volunteers & organizers working on the GMO issue are welcome to come join the party!

Please see below for a list of ALL major events and bios for Howard & Pamm!

Online Google Calendar of All Events

Schedule is subject to change & events are still being added.

Pamm still has available time to fill, mostly during the day, so all help is appreciated to make the most of her limited time her in Washington. 

(*Apologies if you received this email more than once. We combined email lists.)

Howard - Main Events:

~ TONIGHT! September 10th ~
Skagit Valley Food Co-op - 6:30-8pm
202 South First Street Mount Vernon, WA 98273

~ September 11th ~
Olympic College - 6:30-8:30 pm
 Sponsored by Kitsap Community Food Co-op
Bremerton Student Center 1600 Chester Ave Bremerton, WA


~ September 12th ~
Shelton Timberland Library - 12-2pm
710 W. Alder St, Shelton, WA

Lacey Timberland Library - 3-5pm
500 College Street SE, Lacey WA

The Grange Building - 6-9pm
Sponsored by The Yelm Cooperative 
302 E Yelm Ave, Yelm WA


~ September 13th ~
Vancouver Community Library - 6:30-8:30pm
901 C Street, Vancouver, WA


~ September 14th ~
Republican Booth at WA State Fair - 10am-12pm
Washington State Fair Events Center, 110 9th Ave SW Puyallup, WA 98371

Sumner Animal Grub - Ice Cream Social w/ Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream - 4-5:30pm
800 Traffic St, Sumner, WA

Fire Station #66 - South Hill  6:30-8pm

Sponsored by TNT Wellness Consulting
9813 128th Street East, South Hill, WA

~ September 15th ~
Blakeley Manor - 3-5pm

Sponsored by Volunteers for I-522 Seattle
Community Room - 2401 NE Blakeley St, Seattle 98105

Special Event for Howard & Pamm w/ Local Volunteers & Organizers - 6-9pm
Blakeley Manor - Community Room - 2401 NE Blakeley St, Seattle 98105

Pamm - Main Events:

~ September 15th ~
Pamm arrives in Seattle!

Special Event for Howard & Pamm w/ Local Volunteers & Organizers - 6-9pm
Blakeley Manor - Community Room - 2401 NE Blakeley St, Seattle 98105

~ September 16th ~
Brickhouse Tavern - 2-3:30pm
109 W 15th St Vancouver, WA 98660

Traditions Café - 7-9pm
Sponsored by Traditions Fair Trade 
300 5th Ave SW, Olympia WA 98501     


~ September 17th ~
Lacey Timberland Library - 11am-2pm
500 College Street SE, Lacey WA

The Grange Building - 6-9pm
Sponsored by The Yelm Cooperative 
302 E Yelm Ave, Yelm WA 98597


~ September 18th ~
GMO OMG Film Screening at Seattle Art Museum - 7-9pm
Seattle Art Museum 1300 1st Ave Seattle, WA 98101

~ September 19th ~
GMO Labeling Fundraiser Concert with The Refusers - 7-11pm
The Crocodile - 2200 2nd Ave Seattle, WA 98121


~ September 20th ~
Quimper Universalist Unitarian Fellowship  - 7-8:30pm
Sponsored by The Green Sanctuary Committee
2333 San Juan Ave Port Townsend, WA 98368


~ September 21st ~
Nash's Farm Store - 1:30-3pm
4681 Sequim-Dungeness Way, Sequim WA

Peninsula College - 6:30-8pm
1502 E Lauridsen Blvd Port Angeles, WA

GMO OMG Move Screening - 9-11pm
Port Townsend Film Festival - Rose Theater
235 Taylor Ave, Port Townsend, WA


~ September 22nd ~
GMO OMG Screening - 6-8pm
Port Townsend Film Festival - Peter Simpson Free Cinema
(The American Legion Hall) 209 Monroe St.


~ September 23rd ~
Fairhaven Public Library - Bellingham - 6:30-8pm
1117 12th Street Bellingham, WA 98225


~ September 24th ~

Skagit Valley Food Co-op - 6:30-8pm
202 S. First St Downtown Mount Vernon, WA 98273


~ September 25th ~
Green Party of Seattle - 7:30-9pm
Phinney Neighborhood Center - 6532 Phinney Ave N, Seattle, WA 98103 

Limited seating - Get free tickets at: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/461480

~ September 26th ~
Third Place Commons - 7-8:30pm
Sponsored by Sno-Isle Food Co-op & Volunteers for I-522 Seattle
17171 Bothell Way NE Lake Forest Park, WA 98155


~ September 27th ~
GMO OMG Movie Screening - Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) - 7-9pm
305 Harrison St  Seattle, WA 98109


~ September 28th ~

Bellevue/Eastside Event TBA

~ September 29th ~
   Work Party & Potluck for March For Your Food/March Against Monsanto 12-3pm
Sponsored by Volunteers for I-522 Seattle
Blakeley Manor Community Room - 2401 NE Blakeley St, Seattle 98105


~ September 30th ~
Fire Station # 71 - Puyallup - 7-8:30pm
Sponsored by TNT Wellness Consulting
902 7th Street NW, Puyallup WA


~ October 1st ~

Fundraiser featuring Pamm Larry & Jeffery Smith
Sponsored by Marlene's Market
2565 S Gateway Center Plaza Federal Way, WA 98003

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

About Howard Vlieger

Howard Vlieger is a third generation family farmer who has been a “student of the soil,” studying why and how the soil works as it does, since 1989.  Howard lives on the family farm where he was born and raised in northwest Iowa. He assists his son with some of the farming duties.  Since 1992 Howard has been a crop nutrition advisor and has founded two companies to help family farmers reduce their dependency on chemical- based farming and transition to biological and or organic production.  Howard works and teaches as an independent crop nutrition advisor, helping crop and livestock farmers all across the US.

Howard also works with scientists and researchers around the world to develop effective solutions, based on the latest science, for the real-life problems farmers are experiencing because of GMO crops and the chemicals used in growing them. Howard is a co-author and the primary coordinator of a first of its kind scientific study: the feeding of GMO grain and non-GMO grain to hogs for their lifetime as a meat animal.  Howard is an internationally recognized speaker on the topic of GMOs. He believes people deserve to be educated and know what is in their food.  

Howard serves on the board of directors of the Farm & Ranch Freedom Alliance (FARFA) and the Council for Healthy Food Systems (CHFS). He is a strong conservative and for many years has been a delegate for his county to the Iowa State Republican Convention. His greatest accomplishments are being a Christian husband for 32 plus years to his wonderful wife Pam and father to three young adult children & a proud grandfather of one. 

About Pamm Larry

Pamm Larry, farmer, midwife, businesswoman and a gutsy grandmother of three was so distraught about our modern day food system that she quit her day job and spent her time educating herself on GMOs and how to apply for a ballot initiative. She then went on the road and heard a resounding YES from the people in California to pursue a Ballot Initiative. This effort resulted in the Yes On Prop 37, California Right To Know Campaign of November 2012. 

Grandma Larry and her galvanized cadre of concerned citizens represent the sane, spirited voice of a growing number of skeptical Americans who don't necessarily trust better living through chemistry and who demand labeling of genetically modified foods. 

Quick message from Pamm Larry at Natural Products Expo West 2013

Moxie Media - I-522 Campaign Consultants?

There is a report from the "GMO Labeling: Where Are We Now?" session at Expo West that Seattle based Moxie Media will be the consultants for the I-522 campaign.

Moxie Media is a national award-winning political consulting firm specializing in direct mail, internet advertising and print advertising. Since 1999 our mission has been to achieve results for progressive causes and candidates through imaginative communications.

Moxie Media offers an up-to-date and enduring command of proven political tactics. We pursue evidence-based best practices by building testing into our voter contact efforts. And we leverage empirically-validated findings to our clients' strategic advantage.

Should we require labeling of GMO foods? No

Should we require labeling of GMO foods? No

Source – The Sacramento Bee
Opinion – by Jamie Johansson
Date – Oct 4, 2012
Website – www.sacbee.com
Initiative would drive frivolous lawsuits

Proposition 37 is being promoted by its sponsors as a simple measure about food labels. But Proposition 37 is anything but simple. As a recent editorial in The Bee noted, Proposition 37 is “an overreach” and “even voters who worry about genetically modified food should reject Proposition 37.”

Proposition 37 is a poorly written measure that would increase food costs for families by $400 per year, would add millions in new government bureaucracy and red tape, and would establish a whole new class of shakedown lawsuits against family farmers and food companies like mine – without providing any health or safety benefits for consumers.

Proposition 37 amounts to a California-only ban of tens of thousands of perfectly safe, common grocery products containing genetically modified organism (GMO) ingredients, unless they are specially repackaged, relabeled or made with higher-cost ingredients.

A look at the fine print reveals provisions in Proposition 37 that go far beyond labeling.

For starters, Proposition 37 was written by a trial lawyer to benefit trial lawyers. It creates a whole new category of shakedown lawsuits, authorizing lawyers to sue farmers, food producers and grocers over the labels on food.

This hidden provision should come as no surprise. The proposition’s author is a well-known trial lawyer who has made millions suing small businesses under rules he helped write into another California proposition more than 20 years ago.

Proposition 37 is also full of politically motivated and nonsensical exemptions for foods than can contain GMO ingredients. For instance, the initiative requires special labels on soy milk, but exempts milk and other dairy products even though cows may be fed GMO grains. Foods sold in grocery stores require labels, but the exact same foods sold in a restaurant or deli are exempt. Pet foods containing meat require labels, but meat for human consumption is exempt. Food imported from foreign countries is exempt if sellers merely include a statement that their products are “GMO free.”

Unscrupulous foreign companies would surely game the system.

What’s worse, the measure has a confusing provision that would prohibit any food that is pasteurized, heated, dried, juiced or otherwise processed from being labeled or advertised as “natural.” This provision applies even if the processed food has no GMO ingredients whatsoever. For example, a bag of raw almonds would be considered “natural” and could be labeled as such. But if they are roasted and canned, they could no longer be called “natural.”

As an olive farmer, that means that just because I press my olives into olive oil, I would be prohibited from marketing my product as natural. Keep in mind GMO olives don’t exist. It puts me at a disadvantage to my competitors in other states and countries.

All told, Proposition 37 could result in $1.2 billion in higher costs for food processors and farmers, according to a new study by agricultural economics professors at UC Davis.

A separate economic impact study also determined that requiring food producers to relabel, repackage or remake thousands of common grocery products with higher-priced ingredients would increase the cost of food sold by as much as $5.2 billion per year. That translates to $350 to $400 dollars a year for each household.

That is not a small burden for Californians, especially in the midst of a prolonged recession.

Worst of all, Proposition 37 flies in the face of decades of scientific and medical research that has determined that GMO ingredients pose no health risk. In fact, we’ve been eating these foods for nearly two decades, and tens of thousands of common foods are made with ingredients from biotech or genetically engineered crops. Trillions of servings of these foods have been eaten with not a single confirmed health incident.

The National Academy of Sciences, the World Health Organization, the American Medical Association and other respected scientific bodies have endorsed GMO foods as safe. The Food and Drug Administration says labeling policies like Proposition 37 would “be inherently misleading.”

And the American Medical Association voted in June to adopt this policy position: “There is no scientific justification for special labeling of bioengineered foods.”

Doctors, scientists and agriculture experts, along with business and taxpayers groups and farm bureaus representing regions across California, all agree: Proposition 37 is a bad law that will increase costs for consumers and taxpayers and harm family farmers and small businesses.

Let’s not impose a cartload of new costs and red tape just to make a few trial lawyers a little richer.
Vote no on Proposition 37.

 Jamie Johansson, an olive grower from Oroville, is second vice president of the California Farm Bureau Federation.

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs)

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs)

The Weekly has also been a national leader in its reporting on the need for the labeling of all products containing GMOs. The paper’s articles regularly gain national attention and are frequently republished by other magazines, newspapers and websites. 

One of the Weekly’s most recent articles on GMOs was an exposé titled “Monsanto’s point of no return” by Editor Joel Dyer. In this piece, Dyer explored how consolidation within the seed industry has led to not only most U.S. crops being genetically modified, but how even when farmers want to plant non- GMOs, there is often no traditional seed available in the marketplace. 

Dyer found that most of the traditional non-GE seed companies in the world have been purchased by the four largest GMO seed companies, which are quickly phasing out the traditional seeds from the market, in essence forcing farmers to plant the companies’ patented, genetically modified seeds that must be repurchased each year. With a dwindling number of varieties of corn, soy, sugar beets and other major food crops now being grown, scientists are warning that our food supply could be in peril if our crops, with DNA that is now dangerously homogenous, were hit by the right disease or pest infestation.

“Most people are mainly concerned about the health and environmental threats associated with GMOs, and rightly so,” says Dyer. “But what I found while researching my Monsanto piece was that Monsanto’s business model may, in fact, be the single biggest threat to the global food supply.

“And sadly,” Dyer continues, “thanks to the political power that Monsanto and its seed monopoly friends have acquired by buying politicians via campaign donations and hiring Washington insiders when they leave office or the White House administration, it may already be too late to stop Monsanto. Even if voters demand labeling on GMO products, it doesn’t make any difference if there isn’t any non-GE seed left in the world to replant. That’s the point of no return, and we’re getting there fast, if we haven’t already passed it.”

Needless to say, after more than a decade of GMO coverage, Boulder Weekly will continue to inform our readers with long-form explanatory and investigative journalism on the important issue of GMOs.

Right to Know Blog: DDT, Agent Orange, Tobacco, GMOs and YOU

Right to Know Blog

Why do we need to label genetically engineered foods? As Mark Bittman wrote in today's New York Times, because we have a right to know and to decide for ourselves what's in the food we're eating and feeding our families. Who could be against this core American value? That one's easy: the companies that are genetically engineering our food system without our knowledge or consent -- which happen to be the same companies that told us DDT and Agent Orange were safe. With a little help from their tobacco friends.

This is the important story behind Proposition 37's first television ad: The Same Companies that Told Us DDT and Agent Orange were Safe.  The 30-second ad presents the history of notoriously inaccurate health claims by the very same corporations that are funding the No on 37 campaign and opposing our right to know what's in our food.

Read on for the facts about who is behind the No on 37 campaign...

Tobacco industry operatives are key players in the No on 37 Campaign No on 37 consultants MB Public Affairs worked for Altria (formerly Phillip Morris Companies, Inc.). Donations to No on 37 go to the law firm of Bell, McAndrews and Hiltachk. Charles Bell and Thomas Hiltachk were higher ups in the tobacco industry’s misinformation campaign in the 1980s and 1990s. Hiltachk is the treasurer of the No on Prop 37 campaign, was the architect of efforts to dismantle California’s global warming law, and is author of the union-busting Prop 32 on the November ballot which LA Times columnist Michael Hiltzik described as the “fraud to end all frauds”

Also see: Meet the Scientific Experts who Claim that GMOs are Safe.

Consider the Source: No on 37 is a Campaign of Lies