California Legislature Takes First Step to Require GMO Labeling

Media Contacts
Austin Price

CALPIRG

SACRAMENTO, CA — A bill that would require the labeling of genetically modified foods (GMOs) sold in California passed out of the Senate Health Committee today.

“Consumers have the right to know what’s in the food we buy. Polling indicates 90% of Americans want information about GMOs, just like we already require nutritional information,” said Austin Price, Field Director with CALPIRG.

California is one of more than 25 states across the country considering legislation that would require GMO labeling. At the same time, individual companies like Whole Foods and Cheerios are responding to consumer demand and moving to label GMOs in their products. 

“Big Ag and the chemical industry are fighting tooth and nail to keep consumers in the dark,” said Price. “We applaud Senators Evans, DeSaulnier, Beall, Monning, and Wolk for voting to allow consumers to make informed choices about the food we buy for our families.”

Despite overwhelming public support for labeling, ballot initiatives like Prop 37 in California and I-522 in the Washington state have been narrowly defeated at the ballot box behind a flood of opposition money. Faced with the prospect of fighting popular initiatives in multiple states, the Grocery Manufacturers Association is sponsoring federal legislation to pre-empt state laws and block labeling.

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CALPIRG, the California Public Interest Research Group, is a nonprofit, nonpartisan public interest advocacy organization that takes on powerful interests on behalf of its members, working to win concrete results for our health and well-being.