If the Washington state ballot Initiative 522 passes,
Sunnyland residents could expect to see additional labeling on all genetically
engineered products within the next 18 months.
The new labeling law would require that all genetically modified
food products or seeds be labeled.
All food companies in Washington would be required on July 1,
2015 to follow state labeling requirements.
The producers of the products that are sold at Trader
Joe's, Grocery Outlet, Cash & Carry, and even markets such as Youngstock's
Country Farms could be charged up to $1,000 per day if the labeling did not
meet state standards.
Some Sunnyland businesses are not worried about the price of
their products rising because the initiative would not require restaurants food
to be labeled, said Avenue Bread Manager Jamison Rogayan.
John Chartier, the owner of Youngstock's Market does not believe
that I-522 would be necessary unless the entire United States enacted the
initiative.
"Just like the
plastic bag ban that happened [in Bellingham], all states should be required to
pass the law so that it will actually make a difference," said Chartier.
According to the
Secretary of the State of Washington Sam Reed, 49 countries, many of which are
trading partners with the United States, require labeling or have banned the
use of GMOs entirely.
The yes-campaign says
that by labeling GMO products, Washington State’s exports could increase due to
an expansion of international trading partners.
Agriculture is
Washington’s primary employer, and wheat is its second largest export; however,
farmers have varying views on the initiative.
"I've been growing
produce out in the county for the last 41 years, always using as little
pesticides as possible, so I’m not sure why this is necessary," said
Chartier.
Other farmers desire the
right to practice GMO-free farming practices and fear contamination.
The
No-campaign believes that I-522 could create misleading
labels, perhaps allow for exceptions for many food products, and could cause customers to shy away from GE food because the additional
labeling could be perceived as dangerous.
According to the
yes-campaign, the implementation of I-522 should not raise the price of food,
because label updates already occur within the food industry.
State labeling laws would
require that all food products and seeds that have been genetically engineered
would require a label on its package that reads 'may contain genetically
modified products'.
Food such as: corn,
wheat, canola oil, and soy will require a label; similarly, cereal, potato
chips, and candy will also require labeling if they contain GE ingredients.
In order to not clash
with the standards of global labeling, and to protect Washington's exports,
meat and fish would be labeled only if it was genetically engineered, but not
if the animals ate genetically modified feed.
I-522 would not alter
pre-existing label laws; for example, organic product labels will still not be
allowed to contain engineered food or ingredients.
According to industry data, "non-GMO" food labels are
growing quicker than "all natural" or "gluten-free", making
it the fastest growing label claim in the country.
Although restaurants would not be included in this measure, some
of Sunnyland’s restaurants still gear toward being “locally-focused”
through buying food products from local product producers.
The top donor for the
yes-campaign is Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps, while The Grocery Manufacturer
Association is the top donor for the
opposing side.
Currently, $6.3 million
has been raised by the yes-campaign.
According to campaign
data listed, $21 million has been raised to defeat I-522, beating the amount
raised for any other campaign in Washington state history.
Prior to this, the record
was held at $20 million in favor of privatizing liquor sales in 2011; an
initiative that passed.
This is comparable to the
2012 Proposition 37 in California, when a total of $46 million was raised to successfully
defeat the measure that would have required the labeling of genetically engineered
food products.
There is speculation as
to whether the initiative could follow in the footsteps of the defeat of Prop
67, or if I-522 will be voted in by the public due to the awareness that Prop
67 spread.
