vote in Washington state against a measure that would have required mandatory labeling of genetically engineered foods. Washington would have been the first state to pass a law on GMO labeling. The campaign over Initiative 522 drew millions of dollars from out of state and was the costliest initiative fight in state history. Major corporations and other opponents of GMO labeling spent $22 million to defeat the measure. Monsanto donated over $5 million; DuPont, $4 million; while Pepsi, Coca-Cola and Nestle dedicated more than $1.5 million each. The opposition outspent supporters about three to one.
A recent New York Times poll found 93 percent of Americans want labels on food containing GMOs. Sixty-four countries require it.
Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps which is founded by Dr. Bronner was the largest donor to Yes on 522 campaign.
David Bronner talking:
Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps, contributed $2.3 million to the “yes” side. Yeah, we knew—we knew that—you know, what the other side was going to do and that we had to step in and help an amazing grassroots coalition there, be able to fight these guys.
six chemical companies have bought the seed industry in this country and are engineering resistance to their weed killer. So when you hear with genetic engineering, oftentimes it’ll be spun like it’s going to be, you know, vitamins in rice or nitrogen fixing, but that’s not the reality. The reality on the ground is it’s about chemical companies selling weed killer.
most of these crops, 80 percent of the genetically engineered acreage, is engineered to resist Roundup, which is Monsanto’s leading weed killer. Overuse of this weed killer is now resulting in super weeds that are resistant to and aren’t being killed by normal doses or applications, so ever more weed killer is being poured onto our fields. Next-generation genetically engineered crops in the pipeline are being engineered to resist dicamba and 2,4-D. These are much more toxic weed killers. They’re older, much more toxic. 2,4-D is the main ingredient in Agent Orange, which coincidentally both Monsanto and Dow also manufactured.
this is the exact wrong direction as a society we should be going in. We need to be getting off the chemical treadmill. And genetic engineering, as applied, is basically doubling down on this, you know, unsustainable chemical model of industrial agriculture.
it’s kind of the classic playbook on the “no” side of, the big money corporations. What they’ll—they don’t really take on the right to know. You know, that’s a big loser for them. But it’s—they’ll kind of raise these false specters of, you know, “Your food costs are going to go up by $500 a family,” you know, that this initiative is written poorly and is a bureaucratic nightmare. You know, this is kind of like the “no” side playbook. You know, just you don’t really take on the issue; you just say, “Well, this might be a good idea, but this initiative is terrible.” And, you know, they just kind of manipulate people’s fears and kind of take away their confidence in voting for their own interests. it’s a very sophisticated propaganda machine. I mean, $22 million in a state like Washington, I mean, you cannot turn around without being bombarded with their garbage , and it was being layered with mailers.
There’s 26 states considering legislative—or pursuing legislative strategies. Both Connecticut and Maine have labeling laws that will trigger as soon as five other states enact labeling. And also, Washington is not—it’s not done yet. It’s an all-mail ballot. Ballots are still being—our votes are still being counted. We’re up to like two to one. The late surge, you know, especially from King County, the Seattle center—you know, the urban central—I mean, we’re starting to see two to one come in. And, you know, we’re up to 47 percent now. I mean, we may yet close this out with a victory in Washington state.
– source democracynow.org
David Bronner, helped fund the Yes on 522 campaign. He is the grandson of Dr. Bronner, who founded Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps. He has been president of the company since 1998.