Arizona Genetically Modified Organism Labeling Initiative (2014)

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This measure was not put on an election ballot

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An Arizona Genetically Modified Organism Labeling Initiative did not make the November 4, 2014 ballot in Arizona. The measure would have required any food offered for retail sale to be labeled if it contained foods produced through genetic engineering.

Background

Efforts for required labeling and bans of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) were a growing issue in American politics at the state and local level when this measure was proposed. More than a million people signed a petition to the Food and Drug Administration asking it to label GMOs, which was the most signatures of any petition in the agency’s history. Similar labeling measures failed in California in 2012 and Washington in 2013. As of May 14, 2014, there were 84 bills in 29 states regarding the labeling of GMOs. In 2014, Vermont became the first state in the country to require labeling of GMOs. Maine and Connecticut also passed labeling measures, but those would not take effect until several neighboring states also adopt such measures. Arizona, Colorado and Oregon all had petition gathering efforts underway for the 2014 ballot.

Beyond federal regulations, Arizona state laws at the time required labeling of food for artificial flavors, artificial colors or chemical preservatives, as well as requiring products with vegetable fat or oil to contain the common name for that oil and the percentage of the product that contains fat.

AAAS statement on GMOs

According to the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), "crop improvement by the modern molecular techniques of biotechnology is safe." They said further,

“	As a result and contrary to popular misconceptions, GM crops are the most extensively tested crops ever added to our food supply. There are occasional claims that feeding GM foods to animals causes aberrations ranging from digestive disorders, to sterility, tumors and premature death. Although such claims are often sensationalized and receive a great deal of media attention, none have stood up to rigorous scientific scrutiny. Indeed, a recent review of a dozen well-designed long-term animal feeding studies comparing GM and non-GM potatoes, soy, rice, corn and triticale found that the GM and their non-GM counterparts are nutritionally equivalent.	”
—AAAS

Support

Supporters

• Label GMOs Arizona
• Right to Know Arizona

Two petitions regarding GMO labeling were submitted to the Arizona Secretary of State. Right to Know Arizona was the more active of the two campaigns.

Arguments

Jared Keen, head of the Right to Know Arizona movement, said that labeling GMOs is about consumer rights to know if what they are eating comes from a GMO. He did not cite any specific danger, but said there are at least circumstantial reasons to question the safety of these products.

In response to claims that humans have been modifying plant genetics for hundreds of years, Keen said,

“	Splicing two plants together and giving them a chance to cultivate and grow and see what becomes of them has been part of what we’ve been doing for centuries. This is taking the gene of a non-plant item and basically shooting it into the gene of the corn.	”
—Jared Keen

Opposition

Opponents

• Arizona Farm Bureau Federation

Arguments

Julie Murphree, who worked in marketing for the Arizona Farm Bureau Federation, said that the GMO labeling was not about the consumer's right to know, but rather about creating doubt about food safety for consumers. She said, “Historically, we’ve been modifying crops for going back 1,100 years,” referring to the practices of cross-breeding and the domestication of crops. She also argued that those wishing to avoid consumption of GMOs can buy organic products without requiring additional labeling. Murphree also stated that there are no studies linking GMOs to any disease.

Path to the ballot

See also: Laws governing the initiative process in Arizona

Supporters had to collect 172,809 signatures by July 3, 2014 if the measure was to appear on the 2014 ballot. As of April 4, 2014, the Right to Know Arizona petition gathers reported that they had over 20,000 signatures, leaving them well short of the required amount. Ultimately, the group was still short by almost half of the signatures required just a few weeks before the filing deadline.

External links

• Right to Know Arizona
• Right to Know GMO state page for Arizona
• GMO Free Arizona, a nonprofit advocating for GMO labeling

Additional reading

• Associated Press, "Ore. activists announce GMO labeling campaign," May 15, 2014
• The Atlantic, "Want to Know If Your Food Is Genetically Modified?: Across the country, an aggressive grassroots movement is winning support with its demands for GMO labeling. If only it had science on its side.," May 14, 2014
• Food and Chemical Toxicology, "Assessment of the health impact of GM plant diets in long-term and multigenerational animal feeding trials: A literature review," December 3, 2011
• European Commission, "A decade of EU-funded GMO research (2001-2010)," 2010
• The New York Times, "Leave 'Organic' Out of It," May 6, 2014

See also

Suggest a link

• Arizona 2014 ballot measures
• 2014 ballot measures
• Arizona Legislature
• List of Arizona ballot measures