State of Washington to vote on GMO labeling this November
April 30, 2013
The State of Washington is next to take on the topic of whether to require the labeling of genetically modified foods. In 2012, California voters defeated a similar question.
With the end of Washington state's regular legislative session, comes a new Initiative to the Legislature that will be on the ballot in the general election on November 5, 2013. Since the legislature did nothing with the bill - it neither adopted nor amended it - voters will determine whether or not genetically modified foods will be labeled as such.[1]
The initiative is similar to California's defeated Proposition 37 in that it would allow citizens to file lawsuits in order to enforce proper labeling and then recover costs incurred during such a suit. However, I-522 does not include any language that seeks to define what foods are considered "natural," or if it is acceptable for "natural" foods to contain genetic modifiers.[2]
The text of the measure will read as it was originally written by its sponsors.[1] The full text can be found here.
See also
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- 2013 ballot measures
- Washington 2013 ballot measures
- Washington Mandatory Labeling of Genetically Engineered Food Measure, Initiative 522 (2013)
- California Proposition 37, Mandatory Labeling of Genetically Engineered Food Initiative (2012)
Footnotes
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