The measure, known as Proposition 37, would have been the first state law to require the labeling of GMOs, ingredients derived from corn, soy, and canola plants that have been genetically altered to resist high doses of potentially toxic pesticides. (Confused about GMOs? We break it down for you in Foods As Nature Made Them.) Because of the size of California, the impact of the labeling law would undoubtedly have been felt nationally. Despite widespread support for the measure earlier in the year, when over 60% of Californians said they were in favor of labeling, the measure ultimately failed by a vote of 53% to 47%. So what happened? “We were outspent 6-to-1, and the opposition used every dirty trick in the books to mislead consumers about what Prop 37 was about,” says Ronnie Cummins, founder and director of the Organic Consumers Association, which helped the “Yes on 37 California Right to Know” campaign raise money and awareness of the measure. Collectively, hundreds of companies spent $46 million dollars to the Yes campaign’s $9 million to deceive voters into thinking that the law would lead to unnecessary lawsuits, higher grocery bills, and more government bureaucracy. The “No” campaign flooded California airwaves with ads claiming that labeling of GMOs would increase an average family’s grocery bills by $400 a year, despite the fact that no independent studies supported that claim. More from Prevention: Are GMOs Making You Fat? “When you have $50 million, you can spread a lot of information,” says Dave Murphy, co-chair of the Yes on 37 campaign and founder and executive director of Food Democracy Now! “We were resource-short.” Their defeat simply goes to show the power of money in politics, Cummins says. Prop 37 had been endorsed by a huge coalition of over 3,800 groups that ranged from health groups such as the California Nurses Association and the American Public Health Association to consumer advocates like Consumers Union (publishers of Consumer Reports magazine), to politicians that crossed the political divide. Democrats, Republicans and Tea Partiers alike endorsed the law. Still, the fight isn’t over, says Murphy. The Yes campaign and other companies who had supported the measure, including the organic food companies Lundberg Family Farms and Nature’s Path, are turning their attention to Washington state, where supporters have collected roughly half of the signatures they need to get a similar measure on Washington’s November 2013 ballot. Here’s what you can do:
Join the fight! Even if you don’t live in Washington state, you can make your voice heard on this issue. Visit justlabelit.org to sign a petition that’s being sent to the FDA demanding labeling for genetically modified foods on the national level.Demand GMO-free foods. Call the companies that make your favorite foods and ask them if their foods are free of genetically modified ingredients, and force them to respond to consumer pressure. “Food manufacturers need to stop fighting their customers,” says Stacy Malkan, the Yes campaign’s media director. “It’s their responsibility to provide the information that consumers want.“Demand organic, not “natural.” “Natural” is a meaningless marketing term used on foods that frequently contain GMOs, says Cummins, yet people seem to think that “natural” foods are almost as good as certified-organic, only cheaper. “Natural is a marketing term has nothing to do with health or sustainability,” he says. If you want truly GMO-free foods, your only guarantee is a certified-organic product.
