After the recent defeat of ballot measures in California and Washington, advocates for genetically modified food labeling are shifting their attention to Oregon, the next battleground state in their effort to require food manufacturers to label GMOs.
Advocates in Oregon are preparing several GMO labeling initiatives for the 2014 election. “We expect to see legislative proposals around the country, and we will continue to work to educate and engage with legislators,” said Louis Finkel, executive vice president for government affairs at the Grocery Manufacturers Association. This organization wants a national standard to be set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
These measures are already being challenged, however. Oregonians for Food and Shelter has sued the state challenging the ballot title of one of the initiatives and the constitutionality of the other measure. The group claims to “protect those who responsibly use pest-management products, soil nutrients and biotechnology from government over-regulation.”
Related on the SLP
Read the full, original story here: The GMO labeling battleground moves to Oregon
Additional Resources:
- “Oregon’s top newspaper on Washington I-522: Don’t back “irrational” labeling,” Oregonian
- “Labeling GM foods, and other “Krafty” stuff,” Scientific American
- “Why we won’t see GMO labels in the United States anytime soon,” Motley Fool
