Oregon is gearing up for a high-profile food fight this election season: a November vote on whether to require food makers to label products containing genetically modified organisms.
The campaigns on both sides of the issue are expected to spend millions of dollars on ad blitzes over the next two months, as was done for similar labeling proposals in California and Washington in 2012 and 2013, respectively — both of which were narrowly defeated.
Backers of Measure 92 were in Eugene on Wednesday to open a new campaign field office. The campaign is also operating offices in Portland and Medford. Campaign spokesman Kevin Glenn said proponents are hoping to do more door-to-door canvassing in Oregon than was done for the Washington and California initiatives.
Colin Cochran, a spokesman for the “No on 92” campaign, said that while Oregonians have a right to know what’s in their food, Measure 92 won’t provide that certainty. For example, under the measure, new labels wouldn’t be required for meat or dairy products from animals that have been fed GMO plants, he said.
But labels would be needed for sugar products that, after processing, don’t contain any of the genetically modified sugar beet plants they were made from. Cochran said existing national standards for organic and non-GMO labels on food products are a “much more reliable” source of information for consumers who want to avoid genetically engineered foods.
Read the full, original article: Advocates dish out details on GMOs
