Californians support a ballot initiative to label groceries containing genetically engineered ingredients by more than a 2-to-1 margin, according to a Los Angeles Times poll released on Wednesday.
The ballot initiative, known as Proposition 37, is supported by 61 percent of registered voters and opposed by 25 percent of voters. An additional 14 percent were undecided or refused to answer.
If Proposition 37 succeeds in November, California will become the first state to require manufacturers and retailers to label genetically engineered produce and food containing genetically engineered crops, which are also known as “genetically modified organisms” or GMOs. About 50 countries require some kind of label on genetically engineered food.
Proposition 37 enjoys bipartisan support, with 66 percent of Democrats favoring the initiative while 19 percent are opposed, and 49 percent of Republicans supporting it while 35 percent are opposed.
Biotech agriculture critics hope the initiative could set the stage for similar efforts in other states and even in the national Congress, where a powerful agribusiness lobby and America’s overall reliance on GMO farming have kept labeling proposals off the table.
Monsanto’s TV Ads
The LA Times poll was conducted before the campaign against Proposition 37 launched an onslaught of TV ads aimed at turning Californians against the proposal.
The No on 37 campaign has considerably outraised the proponents with a total of $32.5 million in donations from processed-food manufacturers and agrichemical companies. Monsanto alone has donated $7.1 million.
The Yes on 37 campaign has raised about $3.9 million from organics companies and alternative health groups.
One anti-Proposition 37 ad features Central Valley farmer Ted Sheely, who claims the proposal would put farmers at a disadvantage and “the people least able to pay are going to be forced to pay more.”
“The opponents will have the debate about economics – that this proposition could raise the cost of groceries and make food more expensive,” said poll director Dan Schnur, who serves as Unruh Institute of Politics at University of Southern California Dornsife.
Even after being told that Proposition 37 could cost the state $100,000 to $1 million, 56 percent of voters polled still supported the initiative while 32 percent opposed, the pollsters reported.
Scary Food and Tumors in Rats
“Something called ‘genetically modified food’ sounds really scary to people, so it’s not surprising that support for the initiative is so strong,” said Schnur.
Proposition 37 supporters are touting a recently released French study that linked a Monsanto corn variety, along with the popular Roundup herbicide the corn is genetically engineered to tolerate, to tumors and organ failure in lab rats.
Western observers have been critical of the study, but both the French and Russian governments have asked their consumer watchdogs to investigate the findings further. Earlier this week, Russian authorities placed a temporary ban on the Monsanto corn variety. French agriculture ministers have threatened to ban the Monsanto corn if investigators find it could potentially harm human health.
We’re not backing down in the face of Trump’s threats.
As Donald Trump is inaugurated a second time, independent media organizations are faced with urgent mandates: Tell the truth more loudly than ever before. Do that work even as our standard modes of distribution (such as social media platforms) are being manipulated and curtailed by forces of fascist repression and ruthless capitalism. Do that work even as journalism and journalists face targeted attacks, including from the government itself. And do that work in community, never forgetting that we’re not shouting into a faceless void – we’re reaching out to real people amid a life-threatening political climate.
Our task is formidable, and it requires us to ground ourselves in our principles, remind ourselves of our utility, dig in and commit.
As a dizzying number of corporate news organizations – either through need or greed – rush to implement new ways to further monetize their content, and others acquiesce to Trump’s wishes, now is a time for movement media-makers to double down on community-first models.
At Truthout, we are reaffirming our commitments on this front: We won’t run ads or have a paywall because we believe that everyone should have access to information, and that access should exist without barriers and free of distractions from craven corporate interests. We recognize the implications for democracy when information-seekers click a link only to find the article trapped behind a paywall or buried on a page with dozens of invasive ads. The laws of capitalism dictate an unending increase in monetization, and much of the media simply follows those laws. Truthout and many of our peers are dedicating ourselves to following other paths – a commitment which feels vital in a moment when corporations are evermore overtly embedded in government.
Over 80 percent of Truthout‘s funding comes from small individual donations from our community of readers, and the remaining 20 percent comes from a handful of social justice-oriented foundations. Over a third of our total budget is supported by recurring monthly donors, many of whom give because they want to help us keep Truthout barrier-free for everyone.
You can help by giving today. Whether you can make a small monthly donation or a larger gift, Truthout only works with your support.