The possible effects of Initiative 522

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.