“Californians Right to Know” Gearing Up for November 2012 Vote
By Amanda Brodhagen, Farms.com
A historical food labelling referendum will be taking place in November 2012, if passed it would require food products to be labelled if they contain traces of genetically modified organisms (GMO’s). The GMO labelling campaign also known as proposition 37 is becoming a contentious topic for Californians who will be going to the polls in less than three months. A poll released August 2 showed a 69.4% lead for the `right to know’ “YES” campaign and was conducted as an internet poll of 873 voters.
Who are representing the “NO” and the “YES” campaign?
The “YES” campaign is an organized group who are rallying under the "California Right to Know “banner is backed largely by consumer advocates, health food retailers, organic farmers and organic food labels. There is also a long list of endorsements from consumer rights organizations, public health organizations, food safety organizations, government and political party groups just to name a few. The campaign seeks to bring about change on food labels, specifically wanting foods that contain GMO’s to be labelled. The campaign’s website donation gauge says the group has raised $1 million dollars while other public reports have pegged it closer to $3 million.
"It's an epic food fight between the pesticide companies and consumers who want to know what's in their food," says Stacy Malkan, Media Director for the California Right to Know campaign.
The “NO” campaign who is opposing the ‘right to know’ initiative have pumped a lot of money into the campaign, with some reports saying upwards of $10 million has already been raised. The main opponents of the proposition are largely made-up of notable agriculture bio-tech companies and food manufactures. Some suggest the backers include, Campbell Soup, General Mills, Coca-Cola, Monsanto, DuPont Pioneer and Cargill with Monsanto being the leading contributor of $4.2 million.
How does the referenda process work?
Referenda’s are the norm for many U.S. states and has been a part of California’s constitution since 1849. Referenda’s or propositions are examples of “direct democracy” where people vote on policy initiatives compared to “representative democracy” where people vote for representatives who then vote on policy initiatives.
A ballot proposition is a proposed law that can take the form of a constitutional amendment or a statute. A ballot proposition can be proposed by the State Legislator or by a petition signed by members of the public under the initiative system which requires a petition signed by a certain number of registered voters. The ballot proposition is submitted to the electorate for a vote and if more than 50% of voters approve of the referendum so vote “YES” the state will approve the amendment and the new law will go into effect.
What if Proposition 37 passes?
If ‘the right to know’ proposition passes with 50% or more of the vote, California will be the first state that will require by law will require GMO foods and products to be labelled. Supporters of the “YES” campaign say that such labelling laws will bring more transparency the food system. Daniel Summer who is an agriculture economist from the University of California says that if proposition 37 passes it could force a shift in food production since Californians eat 12% of all food consumed in the U.S.