Voters in Washington state have rejected I-522, the ballot initiative to label foods made from genetically modified organisms (GMOs). After a second day of vote tallying, Yes on 522 still trails 45.9 percent to 54.1 percent, and a turnaround does not look likely. A total of 1,170,842 votes have been counted on the measure. Because Washington operates entirely on a mail-in ballot system, votes will continue to be tallied until Dec. 5. King County, which includes Seattle, voted 56.5 percent to 43.5 percent in favor of the initiative. The initiative would have made Washington the first state to pass a labeling law without any conditions before implementation. Labeling laws have previously passed in Connecticut and Maine on the condition that the laws would not go into effect until at least five states have passed similar laws in total. In Connecticut’s case, one of those other states must also share its border. More than 20 states will be considering GMO labeling laws in 2014, and many of the same national interests are expected to put up money to fight and support the laws elsewhere. Opponents of the measure raised $22 million, including major food and beverage corporations such as Pepsi, Coca-Cola and Nestle, as well as biotech companies Monsanto and DuPont Pioneer. The Yes on 522 campaign raised $8.4 million, including major donations from Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap, the Organic Consumers Association and the Center for Food Safety.
Posted on: Thu, 07 Nov 2013 23:42:59 +0000
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